Project Details
- Project Name
- Christchurch Convention Centre
- Location
- New Zealand
- Architect
- Woods Bagot
- Project Types
- Cultural
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Year Completed
- 2019
- Shared by
- Ayda Ayoubi
- Project Status
- On the Boards/In Progress
Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Otakaro Limited has released preliminary design images of the Christchurch Convention Centre. Woods Bagot and Warren and Mahoney worked on the design with Matapopore Charitable Trust.
The convention centre will be capable of hosting up to 2,000 delegates for a variety of national and international events. It will include a 1,400-delegate auditorium, a 3,600 sqm exhibition hall and 1,600 sqm of meeting rooms that will overlook Victoria Square.
Designed to reflect the fluid curves of Canterbury’s braided rivers, the main entrance to the centre opens to Oxford Terrace and the Avon River, giving visitors easy access to Te Papa Otakaro /Avon River Precinct and creating a space for civic events.
Acknowledging the importance of the Avon River edge, the design anticipates that this will be active and occupied as a preferred location for both locals and visitors to meet and mix. By providing an undulating plan and section, the project provides comfortable human scaled ‘microclimates’ to maximize dwell time.
Woods Bagot Principal Bruno Mendes said the project plays an incredibly important role in the revitalization of the city.
Creating a project that was stitched into the various nuances of the city was incredibly important. We did this by ignoring the typical “big box” typology approach of convention centres choosing instead to reduce the scale of the building and engage with the local discourse of the region and Matapopore,”
The design references the local context, with both the architecture and interiors responding to three unique Ngãi Tahu stories: Aoraki, Ranginui & Papatuanuku and Tūterakiwhanoa.
“The concept of braided rivers was a key driver for the façade of the building. Fluid and organic in nature, they wrap their way around the building defining entryways and revealing framed views of the surrounding context.”
Earthworks on the site are now underway and the developed design process has commenced. A practical completion date of late 2019 is being targeted.