You may recall (you should!) the launch of the Long Live the Modern book held by Arch Centre last year.

At long last, after Auckland, Napier, and Christchurch, Wellington (well, Lower Hutt actually) gets to host the touring exhibition. Its at the new Dowse in the Hutt, from 30 January thru till 4 April 2010.

“Long Live the Modern celebrates twentieth-century architectural initiatives concerned with the new – new technologies, new materials, new forms, new building types, new ways of living – initiatives embedded with the belief that the new would change lives in positive ways.”

Curated by Julia Gatley and Bill McKay, from the University of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning. Toured by the Gus Fisher Gallery and the University of Auckland.

The Dowse notes that “this acclaimed touring exhibition features profiles of the Lower Hutt Civic Buildings, designed in the 1950s by Ron Muston and Keith Cook and increasingly valued as examples of innovative modernist architecture. Other Wellington projects include Massey House by Ernst Plishke and Cedric Firth, The Hannah Playhouse/Downstage Theatre by James Beard and The Futuna Chapel in Karori by John Scott.” Wellington certainly has a great selection of Modern buildings – as does the Hutt – indeed, the Dowse sits in an arena of Modern buildings, including the town’s Horticultural Hall, and of course, the Dowse itself beneath the skin of its recent refurbishment by Athfield Architects.

The book, like the exhibition, “aims to raise public awareness about the heritage value of modern architecture and to provide a national context for the heritage assessment of individual modern buildings. To do this, it identifies 180 key modern buildings, sites and neighbourhoods nationwide. The list was compiled with input from DOCOMOMO New Zealand members and interested others. To provide points of reference for those faced with the task of assessing our modern heritage, it includes representation across a range of themes, such as chronology, building type, scale, location, architect, architectural design ideas, construction method and material palette.”

An exhibition not to be missed.