Save the Basin and Save Kapiti are organising a “Rail Against the Road/Expressway” rally at Parliament on Wednesday July 6th. Read More
The Wellington City Council has at last started the process of telling you about WGTN 2040, the proposed Vision for the future – 29 years in the future to be exact.
It has been a long time coming – a couple of years at least, but this is one of the most important consultations that the Council has ever asked the Wellington public for their opinion on. Read More
WELLINGTON SYMPOSIUM – 60 CPD Points
WHAT IS THE FUTURE? WHAT IS THE VISION FOR THE CENTRAL CITY?
Can Wellington maintain its sense of place?
Events have overtaken Wellington, there is a major focus on Auckland with its new governance structure and Christchurch with its massive rebuilding programme.
Coupled with this, the Deputy Prime Minister has presented Wellington a challenge to consider a diversification away from a perceived reliance on the public sector.
As a response, the Wellington Branch of the NZIA is to host a Symposium to focus on matters of interest to architects, urban designers, other built environment professionals and those passionate about Wellington:
Access – Do we have the right balance between transport modes?
Heritage protection – Does it compromise the safety of the community?
Public space – Is this part of the glue to hold Wellington together?
Sense of Place – Hills and harbour – do they define our sense of place?
Stuart Niven, Urban Design Director at the Department of Planning and Community Development for the Victorian State Government will set the scene.
Date: Sunday 10th July
Time: 9:30am – 4:30pm (buffet lunch and morning and afternoon tea provided)
Venue: Rutherford House, Victoria University, Bunny Street, Wellington
Cost: $40.00 +gst (NZIA members) or $45.00 +gst (non-NZIA members)
Registration: mail@thewhiteboard.co.nz
For any queries, contact Gerald Blunt at gerald.blunt@urbanmatters.co.nz or 04 210 1488.
I haven’t been down to the container exhibition of WCC’s Wellington 2040 vision, but am looking forward to doing so soon. What I have seen is the recent post over on EyeoftheFish, which gives us a sneak preview of a small part of the type of outcome that might be expected to emerge from that vision: in this case, a new green space where the Oaks building is currently sited. As the Fish reports, that site has been the subject of many suggestions for ‘improvement,’ some of which are captured in this thread. A particularly intriguing one was the suggestion of a ‘Flatiron’/wedge-shaped building on Te Aro Park, and a park where Oaks currently is – a swap of building for open space and vice versa.
Anyway, WCC’s artist’s impression for this specific site (in accordance with the 2040 vision), has been published by the Fish, which I have plagiarised (above) for this post (click on the image to see it larger over on EotF). Although WCC might well be congratulated for a bold vision and a positive intervention in our urban fabric, at a detailed level, the featureless expanse of lawn probably leaves a lot to desire (and would present a heck of a maintenance issue, even worse that those that currently exist on the Te Aro Park part of the site). That aside, there are other, I think more interesting, issues here that seem always to be overlooked when discussion of what to do with Te Aro Park arises – in particular, issues of both urban and cultural heritage. Read More
Those good folk over at the Congress for the New Urbanism run an initiative called “Highways to Boulevards,” seeking to reclaim urban environments and revitalise cities by campaigning for highway teardowns. They pay particular attention to elevated highways, yep, the good old flyover. Read More
Last week news of a proposed hotel development on the site of the Skyline Restaurant at the top of the cable car appeared on the front page of the Dominion Post. The article had salacious details of ‘clandestine dealings’, ‘contractual agreements’, the public and media banned from meetings behind closed doors at WCC and a proposal to revoke the reserve status of an area of the Botanic Gardens to allow for a hotel on the site.
It has been a busy week here at the Architectural Centre website, but I couldn’t not post this one – so here is a little something for your Friday afternoon entertainment:
Sweet! Read More