Christchurch, New Zealand
Drawing inspiration from the braided rivers of the Canterbury Plains, Bruno Mendes of Woods Bagot, along with Warren and Mahoney Architects and Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects have designed a 28,000-square-meter facility, a true landmark for cultural and economic revitalization in the area of Christchurch, New Zealand.
The venue can host a variety of national and international events, featuring a 1,400-seat auditorium, a 3,600-square-meter exhibition hall, and numerous meeting spaces with stunning views of Victoria Square and the Ōtākaro/Avon River.
This project contributes to the physical and psychic repair and rebuild of Christchurch city in the devastating wake of the 2011 earthquake.
The Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has been awarded a 2024 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
When a 6.3-magnitude quake hit the South Island, it caused extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure, claiming the former convention center, and with it, the lives of 185 Christchurch residents.
The fluid façade is made from nearly 43,000 tiles in an ornate herringbone arrangement, each individually numbered and placed, whose varied tones and textures are inspired by the rich palette of the natural landscape.
Whakapapa was one of the key tenets informing the design, the ancestral bones of the Tahu people buried in the grounds beneath the precinct.
In consultation with the Matapopore Charitable Trust, Te Pae seeks to restore the voice of a people to the urban fabric of Christchurch, referencing Maori history in an architecture previously only defined by its neo-gothic and colonial origins.
Today, Te Pae offers a cultural meeting place, a social landmark, and a purpose-built arts and events hub, stitching itself seamlessly into the wider city fabric.
The centre and its rebirth is gradually helping to repair and remedy the collective trauma of a visibly depleted city, restoring a sense of vibrancy, optimism and future to Christchurch’s civic life.
Project: Te Pae Christchurch Convention Center
Architects: Woods Bagot
Lead Architect: Bruno Mendes
Associate Architects: Warren and Mahoney Architects New Zealand Pty.
Landscape Architects: Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects
General Contractor: CPB Contractors Pty Limited
Client: Rua Paenga Limited (Formerly Ōtākaro Limited)
Photographers: Lightforge
