Dunedin Museum Annex

The former North Dunedin Post Office Building, built 1879, was designed by New Zealand’s first Colonial Architect, W.H. Clayton. The building was saved from demolition by the Otago Art Society.

The Otago Museum brief was to provide additional space by building on top of a 1970’s single storey addition and extending the ground floor.

Exterior walls of the existing building are finished with bolstered local Blue Stone (basalt). The building corners, windows and doors are detailed in contrasting Oamaru Stone relief in the traditional quoin pattern.

The strong horizontal lines of the roof parapet and intermediate parapet gave the original building a visually heavy and squat appearance. The elevations to Great King Street and Albany Streets had to remain untouched. These elevations typify the building’s original Provincial Revival Style.

We took the approach that any addition needed to appear light and transparent to act as a foil to the solid masonry building, ensuring the existing stone facades are clearly visible through the additions.

The original elevation was an eclectic arrangement of doors and windows that reflected its functional nature. There is no classical symmetry to this elevation. The ground floor extension to this face comprises a “lean to” conservatory structure with “slate” roof separated from the existing building by a glazed section of roof. The structure of this conservatory is separate, the only intrusion is a flashing set into the horizontal course line.

A first floor addition has also been kept light in its interaction with the existing building and provides views out into the Museum Reserve.

A secondary egress stair was required and is screened by two black metal clad wing walls so to remain visually recessive.

The colour palette inside comprises whites and greys which were chosen to give the building a consistency in appearance.

During the whole process, we worked closely with Jonathan Howard of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.