Christchurch Convention Centre Te Pae

The Christchurch Convention Centre Precinct, Te Pae, is a unique symbol for the city and its people and is designed to reflect the identity of its place.

The Christchurch Convention Centre Precinct is one of the few Christchurch Blueprint anchor projects that will be utilised on a daily basis by both the people of Christchurch and visitors to the city, and therefore must be meaningful to both audiences.

The design draws inspiration from the braided rivers of the Canterbury Plains, the neo-gothic architecture of Christchurch city and the patterns and colours that are part of the local Ngāi Tahu iwi tradition. The main entrance to the centre opens to Oxford Terrace and the Avon River, giving visitors easy access to Te Papa Otakaro /Avon River Precinct and creating a space for civic events.

Capable of hosting up to 2,000 delegates for a variety of national and international events, the Christchurch Convention Centre includes a 1,400-delegate auditorium, a 3,600 sqm exhibition hall and 1,600 sqm of meeting rooms overlooking Victoria Square.

By providing an undulating plan and section, the project provides comfortable human scaled ‘microclimates’ to maximise dwell time. The concept of braided rivers was a key driver for the façade of the building. Fluid and organic in nature, they wrap their way around the building defining entryways and revealing framed views of the surrounding context.

The Christchurch Convention Centre was shortlisted for a 2017 World Architecture Festival Award - Culture: Future Projects.

This article originally appeared in warrenandmahoney.com