If you haven’t yet, I would definitely recommend that you head down to Te Papa and check out Body Movies.
Part of the Arts Festival, the installation projects street photography in combination with the silhouettes of the viewers – producing something akin to overscaled shadow puppetry. Conceived by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, and sponsored by Meridian Energy, it is the 6th in a series of “Relational Architecture” projects that explore “the intersections between new technologies, public space and performance art”.
Unfortunately, all the photos I took are horrible. I need to get my tripod back…
I’ll restrain myself from launching into architectural theory/analysis; the…
read the full entryLate last year, I had an amazing opportunity to meet Bill Toomath, and explore his Roseneath house. In particular, the building features a dramatic addition – a study room that was designed to replicate a scene from the 15th century painting, St Jerome in his Study.
My impressions of the ‘design den’ were that it seemed very functional, easily storing a huge array of books, as well as providing areas for reading, drawing and computer use. The timeless geometry of the replica seems to fit in perfectly with the modern New Zealand building, just as it did in the original chapel.…
read the full entryI apoligise for echoing Poneke almost entirely, but today is the last day to submit feedback on the Ngauranga to Airport study.
Enough has probably been said about the study, the response, and the alternatives. If you have been following the issue, but haven’t put through a submission yet, then now is the time to have your say!
The online submission form makes things exceedingly easy, you can address whichever topics you like, to whatever depth you like (none of the feedback fields are required). Submissions close at 5pm
read the full entryHaving finally made my way down to the Waterfront Information Center, I was able to take more of a broad look at the Athfield Kumutoto wins. The pictures and write-up shown in the Dom really don’t give a full idea of the scheme, so here is something of a brief second look at the project. Apologies for the poor picture quality, need to start getting us those press releases….
For me, the biggest reveal was the city-side façades. Site 10 adopts a fenestration patterning similar to that used by the near-by BNZ waterfront project, but breaks the mould by adding a…
read the full entryToday Wellington Airport unveiled the design for “The Rock”, an addition to the international terminal. However this is not just a simple expansion/addition, this is to be “New Zealand’s newest icon“.
The $39 million project promises an array of improvements to the airport experience, having doubled the traffic capacity of the international terminal, and added many new facilities. But the pragmatics of the user experience are hardly the focus of the architecture, the design is unashamedly dramatic, demanding pathos, demanding memorability. Looking at the official and public feedback gathered so far, it is certainly producing on those fronts:
“It is incredibly inspiring…
read the full entryArchitecture + (plus what, one may ask, to complete the equation), have been one of the busiest architects in the city of late, barring Athfields and Archaus of course. They have recently unveiled the Republic 2 apartments, close on the tail of the Republic (1), which itself followed quickly behind the Monument, which followed the Piermont, and that followed the Portal. Someone’s been spending long hours at work!
More on these projects in a later post. But for now, lets look at the finished results from some of their earlier work for CAS, in two developments around Oriental Bay. The first…
read the full entryOur next header image comes from Sinner Photography
Again, if you were interested in having your photography featured, be sure to get in touch.
Last night was of course, Stop Transit’s Tunnels, a public meeting to inform the public about Transit’s plans, better alternatives and how to influence the process of the Ngauranga to Airport Transport Strategy.
Note: Sorry, its been a busy night, and its 3am….this post will be edited into a more complete writeup with some analysis and supporting material when I get the chance. Check back soon, but in the mean time, here are some (rough) points of what was covered:
Celia, giving a summary of the Ngauranga to Airport Transport Strategic Study
Just a few days after a clean sweep at Kumotomo, the Athfield-designed proposal for the Overseas Terminal has suffered a setback when an officer’s report recommended that the project be declined.
For those unfamiliar with the project, the development would create a retail ground level, with 4 upper floors housing 70 luxury apartments. A parking level would also be created on the underside of the wharf, and the public promenade upgraded. Tom’s excellent critique of the project is of course, recommended reading.
The report assesses that in its current form, the project will have severe adverse effects on the environment (assumedly this…
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“I’ve attempted to show the figure evoking a desire to be alone with his thoughts…Naked and vulnerable, his physicality reflects the psychological state that each of us have experienced at some time in our lives. Retaining a classical sense of strength and control he leans almost precariously into the wind over the waters edge. It captures that moment before letting go, both physically and emotionally.”
For those interested: a sneak peak of the new sculpture that will soon be installed at the Chaffers Marina end of the Te Papa promenade.
Designed to form a life of its own as it rusts and…
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