There was a mention a month or two ago of the origin of the CML building, when regular reader Robyn mentioned that it was one of her favourite buildings. “I like the grid of the outside, the mirror glass, and the variations with the stepped bits. (Argh, I so don’t have the vocab to describe it properly!)” I was surprised – its never been one of…
Maximus
549 Articles
A Wellingtonian, interested in architecture and design. But enough about me, what about you?
13
1
Maximus
1 Min Read
Front page news today that the Cuba Carnival is canned for next year, and that the future of the whole event is in doubt: Oh No, Say It Isn’t So! That sucks – it really does. The Cuba Carnival really is one of the high-lights of living in Wellington – the colours, the parades, the music, the clothes (or lack of), the food, and oh, did…
3
1
Maximus
1 Min Read
Moving on from works on the Rock, its surely time for a quick segue to a recent event held here in Wellington – the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Fish didn’t actually get there this time (could there be anything more ridiculous than a fish in suspenders – and fish-net stockings!) but it is a vital part of Wellington’s urban night time life style, which we…
4
1
Maximus
1 Min Read
A year or two out from the fracas that greeted the Wellington Airport proposals for the new International Terminal, its interesting that it has got very little commentary while it is under construction. Are the print media being kept on a short leash? Or is it just that everyone is waiting with trepidation, and anticipation? Whatever the reason, it must be time to have a quick…
11
1
Maximus
1 Min Read
There’s something arising in the Eastern block, and it’s not the russians. Tall, concrete columns, marching in a slow symbolic circle, firmly upright, tasteful grey – it could only be the new Eastern Sporting Arena. Despite the misgivings of the Fish, we’ve grown resigned to the fact that it is here in Rongotai, and it appears to be going great guns. Even from this very early…
6
1
Maximus
1 Min Read
The WCC is asking for your input into the waterfront, again. It seems like we’ve hardly stopped commenting on it, and yet, so important is this part of the city to our overall ethos, that we’re keen to look again. Incidentally – the time for submissions on the Manners Mall proposal – has passed, and I see that the Arch Centre has given it a firm…
Maximus
2 Min Read
So: the government has upped its derisory previous 10% offer, to 25%. This is much the same as what one of one avid readers, m-d, was saying some time ago, when we last blogged on the subject. Its good to see that the Fish is so influential as to be having an effect on Government policy. ;-) Sadly of course, they missed out the best bit…
19
2
Maximus
2 Min Read
Top prize in the NZIA New Zealand Architecture Awards last night in Auckland went to Ironbank, by RTA Studio. Fantastic building, stunningly iconographic, and well-deserved. It’s a tour-de-force of the art of the architect – yes, agreed that perhaps the structural logic could be argued to be, shall we say, “overly complex” – but its a building that you just can’t help but like. The dark,…
Maximus
2 Min Read
This title caught my eye, as well it might yours. It is the subject of a posting on the Design Intelligence website, and well worth a read in total on the original site. While written by “Victoria Beach, an independent architect and former lecturer in architecture at the Harvard School of Design”, what is interesting as well is the (in most cases) well reasoned arguments from…
8
1
Maximus
1 Min Read
I went past the old Thorndon Tavern last week, which is starting to be transformed into the new Thai embassy. To my delight, the old accretions of the former pub had been stripped away, and the bare concrete skeleton exposed. While the concrete frame of the building is amazing – only 4 massive columns, with 4 massive beams, brilliantly designed by Colin Gunter at NZ Breweries,…