While this blog site is aimed at matters urban and matters Wellingtonian, there arises an occasional foray into waters further south – and this is one such case. Wellington is, as we all know, home to one of the finest waterfronts in the world, and is certainly the creme de la creme of waterfronts in Aotearoa, being possibly only excelled by that of Rawene. Auckland doesn’t come close!
But Hell’s Belle’s – what is that lurking in the shallows, waiting like a floating outcrop of beached blue whales, or a melange of bearded clams and crocodiles teeth – waiting to take the crown away from Wellington’s lovely waterfront?!? It looks like it is nothing other than the lovechild of the (late, lovely) Zaha Hadid and (still kicking) Santiago Calatrava, frolicking naked on the shores of Otago Harbour and coupling with a mission so compelling that they have already produced several flowing, lumpy off-spring. Apparently the vision of Ian Taylor (no relation to Richard Taylor I presume?) and from the pen – no, scratch that – from the parametric modelling tools of Architecture van Brandenburg, the following scheme has sprung, fully formed, wings still furled but ready to fly at a moment’s notice. The Gummint, according to Lord of the Fishes Shane Jones, says “Yum Yum, give us some of that sweet southern magic” and is, apparently, keen to see something happen on the waterfront down there. If only the gumming had been so equally excited and keen to fund Wellington’s waterfront and then we wouldn’t have had to build buildings all over it just to fund the new paving…
Exactly what the various forms are, we’re not yet at liberty to know, but we can make some uneducated guesses. The video starts off with some calatravaesque glowing white bridges, taking walkers from the Octagon (the staunch grey cold granite heart of Scottish Presbyterian minsterness) over the top of roads and railway lines down to the water’s edge.
What has been, up till now, a stone and brick Victorian-era waterfront, full of mainly derelict old warehouses that are sure to fail a earthquake simulation, is transformed into a mini version of Dubai upon Thames, replete with a melange of mixed metaphors about sinuous snaky things, bits of Gaudi-esque banter, Calatravery winged forms, and what could possibly be a hotel perched on the outer point, looking not unlike a collection of giant mussels eating each other, or possibly crocodiles mating at dawn. At present there does not appear to be any functional windows out, but there are certainly skylights in, warming those cold southern hearts with the magic of wavey, bendy Starchitecture.
I’m not here to bitch about a scheme I know nothing about – no doubt the van Brandenburg clan have been busy for months working on this scheme, and no doubt it’s about time that Dunedin has a vision worth fighting for. Our poor wee southern Scottish cousin has been a bit down in the dumps since, about, oooh, 1870 or so, when it passed it’s highlight hours and has been turning itself into a venue solely for the Auckland students to get drunk on cheap booze, far away from their mothers and fathers in Remuera.
There is really no future in becoming a centre known only for student antics involving burning couches and rolling jaffas (or a presumed replacement) and generally, drinking and vomiting a lot (a battle that Wellington is still trying to fight against). I’m not sure that Dunedin will ever become a tourist Mecca due to the simple fact that their airport is situated so far out of town that you almost have to mortgage your house to pay the taxi fare – it’s obscenely far away – but is this the trick that will pull in the punters?
There is no doubt that someone (perhaps everyone) at van B is an absolute whiz with some very swirly CAD software but that’s not always a guarantee of good architecture, nor of buildable buildings. Clearly the van B studio has this aspect down pat, especially as they are responsible for some ginormous “fashion district” collection of improbable show-rooms somewhere in the hidden regions of China, where they are pulling off this swirling excitement on a grand scale.
And clearly, also, they may be better at doing this type of architecture than Mr Swirly-pants himself, the Saint James of the Cala trivia himself, whose PATH station in New York has opened within the last year at a price point closely proximiting obscenity. Was it $2 billion or $5 billion? Whatever – it is obscene on a scale far exceeding even the salary of a Fonterra CEO. So – if Calatrava himself might be too expensive to be invited back to New York again – then are we better to line up for a can of Calatrava-lite and suck back a cold one?
I’m not sure whether to be shocked by this scheme or to be open-mouthed with amazement at their chutzpah – this is a mighty ballsy scheme to put forward for the Edinburgh of the South. The comment about “Dubai on Thames” made me think – I’ve been to Dubai, and while the architecture was generally mad, it also seemed out of place there as well. Yet the Sydney Opera House has been well-received (though not at the time) and is now a design classic. But perhaps its joy is that it is a one-off. Does this scheme get better (or worse?) through having several buildings, all from the same family?
There’s a link to the Animation Research here http://arl.co.nz
and also a link to Architecture van Brandenburg here. http://www.vanbrandenburg.co.nz/architecture
Curiously, neither of these sites mention the Dunedin project.
The van B website does however mention that Fred van B had an epiphany in 2005 when he visited Barcelona and met with the Saudi team – including “Professor Joan Bassegoda, the chair of the Institute of Gaudi Studies. He was influential in advising Fred to abandon all preconceived notions of aesthetics and look to nature for inspiration – as Gaudi would say: “…to be original, you must return to the sources…†and the only “great open book that one must strive to read (is) the Book of Nature.â€
In a country which only built half of its House of Parliament, has there ever been a grand projet – especially one involving multiple buildings – which made it through to completion without getting quantity surveyed to death?
Is that a rhetorical question Stakive? Ummmm, surely there must be. ……….
…….I know – Sport ! There’s always money for sport. Eden Park stadium? Forsyth Barr Stadium? Commonwealth Games sports hall, swim,ing pool, and stadia?
Fair point, especially about the pools. Fryberg, Moana…
But how much harder to keep it tight when there are multiple buildings and none of them, apparently, involve sport. Crusty old preservationist manque that I am, I rather fancied a more Fremantle approach with the old wharf sheds.
Crusty old preservationist manque ? No, I think you have a perfectly valid point – let’s face it, what has been proposed here is not – NOT – anything to do with Dunedin, and Dunedin’s past. The question is: should it be here in the future? Dunedin is dying – and here it sees itself with a chance to resuscitate its reputation via architecture – isn’t that we all want? The Bilbao effect x 100 times?? But how far do you have to prostitute yourself to get attention? And yes – what IS in those buildings? Apparently one is a conference centre – I have no idea which one, none look large enough for big halls, but I’m sure the homework has been done. Apparently another is a hotel – but which one? The bowl of mussels? And then there is the gaudy-esque canopy with trees planted on concrete roofs – conceptual I know, but what is that and how do they grow?
So many unanswered questions!
I’m not convinced that Dunedin is dying. Why can’t it thrive as an education and knowledge industry small city? It has always seemed a more viable city space than Christchurch, even before Mr Shakey had his say. Imagine a tiny Portland or Athens (Georgia that is). Perhaps they just need to get over all the wailing about chocolate factories and the like and really set to skinning Remuera finest. Not to mention servicing all the Trumpugees up the road.
Well, old Jonkers said that Wellington was dying, and we’re a damn sight more alive than Dunedin. But maybe you’re right. The danger of course with any town or city is if they are a one trick pony. Wellington has at least two tricks up sleeves: students, government, and film (sorry, that makes three). We’ve got two flourishing universities, two or more polytechs (depending on what they are calling themselves these days), about 20 government Ministries, and of course Jacko and Taylor getting up to all sorts. But what has Dun got going for it? A slightly out of control student body, and, umm, I honestly don’t know. Certainly not a chocolate factory any more. Maybe a little one. Happy to be proved wrong.
I promise to never cringe at architecturally ill-resolved but high-quality rendered student projects again.
(honest I won’t)
PS. For heaven’s sake don’t tell Auckland about Rawene. It’ll be Tutukaka before you know it.
One thing Dunners has going for it is a wealth of mouth-watering building spaces in the CBD. The locals invest in their buildings with a parochial patriotism rarely found anywhere in NZ. As a result there are more beautifully restored, elegantly proportioned and appealing spaces than you can shake a stick at. My partner ( and lapsed architectural student and current cafe owner, seeking new space) sums it up: “If only you could pick up some of these gorgeous spaces in a helicopter or a boat or something..” “Why on earth?” “cos they’re in Dunedin”