Wellington College Memorial Hall

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