The potential Hilton hotel has had the appeals against its consent upheld, signalling what is likely to be the end of the controversial waterfront proposal. Having started the applications process back in later 2005, the news seems like it will be a decisive blow to the project; although an appeal is possible, it must go through the High Court. The presiding judge cited all the usual…
Fish
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Maximus
3 Min Read
Just as the press is all about the coming end of the property market, and the apartment market crash in Auckland, another development appears on the horizon. Barrio is the latest high rise apartment building designed by architect Campbell Pope, interestingly just next to his previous work: the Bellagio. While Bellagio seemed a random choice for a name, implying an Italian background, Barrio seems outright wrong…
Maximus
3 Min Read
Watching TV on Saturday night, I spotted two things that are doing marvellous PR for Architects in New Zealand. Forget about the inept and unregistered on Mitre 10 Dream home – producing the sort of tat we’re all trying to avoid – over on Grand Designs Abroad, the host Kevin McCloud is possibly the best advert for having an architect in NZ, even if it is…
Philip
1 Min Read
Is it just me, or has the media coverage of the proposed Courtenay Place changes focused a little too much on the issues related to the curbing of an “out-of-control” party zone, much to the detriment of several other important issues. For example, in the Dominion Post it was noted that: “Out-of-control drinking … has prompted a radical review, which could result in which could result…
Maximus
4 Min Read
It’s a lonely life being an architectural critic in New Zealand. An art form that’s not so much dying as nearly not born at all, there are precious few who will stick their head above the parapet to comment on the equally few works of architecture we have that appear in the pages of the press. And it is a situation that is going to get…
Philip
1 Min Read
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”…
Philip
2 Min Read
Late 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…
Philip
1 Min Read
I 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,…
Philip
1 Min Read
Having 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…
Philip
4 Min Read
Today 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…