The legacy of a living room
Christchurch Town Hall
The Christchurch Town Hall design competition took place in 1965. As the first totally new town hall in New Zealand for nearly 50 years, the competition attracted attention and interest from across the country. Heavily influenced by his time in Europe during the birth of brutalism, Sir Miles Warren’s winning scheme encapsulates the movement’s maxim of beauty in the honest application of materials.
I have performed in the Christchurch Town Hall several times and each performance left me with a sense of pride about the wonderful town hall concert environment and the excellent acoustics.
Redeveloping a cultural icon
The iconic building was in the midst of a refurbishment project when the Christchurch earthquakes struck in 2010 and 2011. The refurbishment work was to include additional food and beverage facilities, an upgrade of bars and public toilets, refinement of acoustics to the James Hay Theatre, and fire and special services upgrades. The exterior of the building was to be refurbished along with new landscaping and paving to enhance the building's setting.
As a result of the earthquakes, and due to the land damage beneath, the town hall required the strengthening of foundations and damage repair to the original design. The restoration has brought the town hall up to 100 percent of New Building Standards and includes construction of a purpose-built facility for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO), giving it a permanent home in the complex for the first time.
It’s not just an icon of our city, not just a place in our hearts – but also a building that has sent a message to the world about what we have achieved in this city.
Collective Effort
Collective Effort
