Wellington College Memorial Hall
By architecture+
Wellington's secondary school for boys Wellington College is located near the basin reserve on Mt Victoria and caters to around 1700 students. The Wellington College Memorial Hall is the main arrival and entry point for visitors to the school, providing a quality new space for whole-school assemblies and large-scale events. Both the building’s function and its location determine that it is the focal point of the campus.
Sitting respectfully within its established surroundings, the design is sympathetic to the heritage Firth Hall, the brutalist tower block to the west, and the surrounding mature trees. Establishing new and improved connections to other buildings and spaces within the campus was a priority. In this project we drew inspiration from the community for which it was designed, seeking to provide Wellington College with a contemporary high-class facility, while maintaining an aesthetic appropriate to the specific context of the surrounding heritage buildings.
The materiality of Wellington College Memorial Hall shows restraint, calmness and dignity. Shroud in a weatherproof cloak of metal, the exterior of the building is characterised by its brass and aluminium repeating patterns. Subtle tukutuku patterns are incorporated into the building fabric, representing: Roimata – the tears of the toroa/albatross, depicting disaster in war, death or catastrophe; and Poutama – the stairway to heaven, representing progress and advancement, education and the strive for betterment, the planning of a child’s future.
Structural engineer: Clendon Burns and Park
Services engineer: eCubed
Fire engineer: Holmes Consulting
Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
Project manager: Ian Rattray
Lighting Design: David Skelly
Contractor: Maycroft Construction Limited
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architecture+ is an award-winning architectural practice based in Wellington, New Zealand. Over the past 29 years architecture + has gained a wealth of experience across many scales – gaining expertise in civic, commercial and multi-residential projects. Since its establishment in 1994, architecture+ has steadily grown to a sizable practice, led by five directors: Stuart Gardyne, Allan Wright, Stephen Poulopoulos, Belinda Tuohy and Kirsty Chamberlain.
architecture+ fosters an inclusive office culture, where our talented staff play an integral role in office and practice development. While architecture+ has a recognised design focus, we are also highly respected for our technical skills and project delivery capabilities. We have a reputation for delivering well-considered projects of consistent design quality and for our sound technical understanding of construction methods and materials.
Nominating the appropriate personnel for each project is fundamental to the successful delivery of our design services. Our methodology sees the meaningful involvement of a project director throughout a project's life, while leading a team with complementary skills and fostering a culture of collaboration. Our project teams are comprised of both long-serving loyal staff with their specialist expertise and newer graduates with fresh contemporary thinking.
- Year founded1994
- ArchiPro Member since2023
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