The Friday 26 August deadline for submissions to NZTA regarding the Wellington inner-city transport projects is getting closer. Read the rest of this entry »

Since the unveiling of the NZTA schemes for around the Basin now almost a month ago, we have been having a good look at their back issues – the NZTA publications that they have been storing up away from prying eyes. Now, however, a good number of them have been published and are available on line.
One of the more interesting things unveiled, is the plan of the work for the Memorial Park. Read the rest of this entry »

The NZTA have proposed options for redeveloping the roading of the Basin Reserve.  But these are not really options. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve already begun discussing issues relevant to the Basin, particularly through blog posts … Read the rest of this entry »

In a surprise move, the possibility of lowering State Highway One past the National War Memorial was announced on the front page of the weekend paper. At the Architectural Centre, we have been advocating this for a number of years now – we hosted a Symposium on the design of the ‘Memorial Park’ in 2007, and the over-whelming feedback from the group of assembled experts was that the roadway through the park should be lowered. In our feedback to the City on the Ngauranga to Airport study, we also noted that the Memorial Park should be lowered. Recently, during the vision for Wellington in 2040, we again pressed for the roadway to be lowered, to give the Memorial due respect and space. We’re very pleased that this is now, at last, being addressed with the respect it is due.

The present strip of pseudo motorway that sidles past the base of the National War Memorial, and incorporates two or more steeply climbing driveways up to the front of the old Museum building (now Massey University), is not so much a National shame, but very much a National lost opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re pleased to note that Her Worship the Mayor Kerry Prendergast, and the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable John Key, have been getting together to launch “Our Extraordinary Democracy – The Capital City Initiative“. It seems that it is not often that architecture, design, and especially urban design get discussed at such high level – and so long may this trend continue.

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