Having attended the ANZAC service this morning, like so many New Zealanders across our country, I came to realise how inadequate our present War Memorial is. For a start, there is hardly any room for visitors, who have to cling to the hill side and peer through the trees.
On it’s inauguration many years ago, the Carillon stood alone, proud and prominent on the base of the hillock we call Mount Cook. The crowds numbered in their tens-of-thousands. The site had previously been a site for brickworks, a jail, barracks, and more: but it was selected for…
This week has been a notably anti-developer week, a nasty bump in the world of property development. Not for quite some time have property developers and property financiers been held up for so much scorn, hatred, and public derision. Is it all deserved? You be the judge.
Firstly, local property developer Lance James has been sent to jail for 8 2 years – yes, EIGHT TWO years, although not for heinous property development crimes, but instead because of lack of payment of tax. Ouch. That’s got to hurt. But not as much as eight years…
Unfortunately, yesterday’s lecture by Charles Renfro sold out relatively fast, so for those who were unable to make it, here is a link to a presentation given by him in support of a recent competition entry. Renfro was much more engaging and entertaining last night, but his presentation to the University of Melbourne covers most of what came up in yesterdays lecture, as well as a few extra projects.
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read the full entryThe Maranui is being slowly rebuilt, but the Lyall Bay saga goes on. Last week Wellingtonians were given a preview of the proposed new Lyall Bay clubhouse, that has now had to incorporate additional changing rooms and toilets for the public. It sounds like they were not too happy with the prospect unveiled.
It is a very similar offering to Archaus’ previous design, which was also a blue tiled box with a concrete climbing wall type thing. There’s a picture of the previous version below, or you can refer to our previous postings here, or on the Maranui here,…
read the full entryThere was a time, before my time, when Architecture would get involved with politics. When to be a Modern Architect, meant that you ascribed to certain political beliefs as well as architectural ones, instead of just designing cute looking buildings in a fairly squarish sort of style.
That view has pretty much gone now, although there are the odd spot of political posturing by those involved in Architecture. Sometimes the Arch Centre gets a little grumpy, but it doesn’t have enough muscle to get really political. The NZIA is a pretty non-political animal, aside from the debacle a few…
read the full entryAah well, sounds like no one quite fell for it yesterday – the prospect must have been just too outrageous. Although: weirder things have happened. Like what, I hear you ask? Well, like the National government passing legislation in one day to abolish a democratically elected environment board. I mean, isn’t that just the littlest bit anti-democratic? Just the teensiest bit like what fascists dictators do, such as Fiji’s Bainimarama, or umm, like Germany’s Nazi party in their distant past? I know, I know, I mentioned Nazi – but really, what is the point of having a democracy if the…
read the full entryThe folk here at the Fish have been following the reshuffling down at the City Council with interest, as they restructure the Urban Strategy Group yet again and find new positions for expired urban designers and heritage advisors. We’re given to understand that this morning they will be announcing the addition of a new position to the team, in the form of a new City Architect. In a surprise move, the position is heavily rumoured to be going to a prominent business figure within the Wellington development community.
The candidate, who we are unfortunately not yet able…