Creative Exhibition Centre. Project 06
Trimester 2. 2018
Wellington. New Zealand
The brief for this assignment called for a transformation of a earthquake damaged structure straddling Oriental Bay’s waterfront. In the past the structure had been a site for public engagement and meetings, following this the building fell into private ownership as a restaurant. The goal our team set out to achieve was to bring the building back to it’s original purpose of multi-use public engagement whilst also creating a contemporary structure that addressed the promenade and waterfront opportunities. The structure is an undulating system in the form of a manta ray, derived from it’s tribal representation as a wise guardian and protector. So as the manta ray is set in a state of motion, breaching the border of natural and urban landscape, she provides a shelter of harmony in which users can cultivate their arts.
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This project was a particular challenge as we were designing for a climate unfamiliar to us, further we had never designed for an earthquake proof structure. This gave the opportunity for research into something previously unknown to us and provided a learning outcome for how we arrived to a solution in very real and practical ways. We felt that the building should be taking advantage of the surrounding landscape to the best of it’s ability; drinking in views of the mountain-scape, having a permeable and inviting street frontage while also being an iconic building for the city of Wellington in the effort to revision the city. This project provided a learning experience for the use of Rhino and Revit and the collective work of my colleagues; Jake Cumberland and Mathieu Baptiste made communication and collaboration across programs and platforms essential.