By Studio Pacific Architecture
Read The Commercial Edit feature article here.
Wellington’s new Convention and Exhibition Centre, Tākina, has a unique sculptural form that draws inspiration from a wide range of sources including its maritime location, Wellington's dramatic, and sometimes wild, weather patterns, and landforms.
It also draws from Maori mythology, specifically 'Te Ūpoko-o-Te-Ika-o-Māui' Maui's head of the fish. The legend refers to the forming of Te Whanganui a Tara - Wellington's unique harbour and waterfront geology and topography. The resulting design is organic and dynamic.
The 18,000sqm building is primarily clad in a shimmering glass skin around a soft flowing form. The material of the glass cladding responds to differing light conditions throughout the day - giving variance to the building. At times a singular overall form will be prominent as the glazing will appear more or less monolithic, while at other times the translucency reveals a subtle inner shape and internal activity.
While the building’s exterior has an organic character, the interior is rigorously orthogonal in its layout – creating a dramatic tension where the two conditions come together. With a predominantly inward-looking programme, the internal spaces of the 6 storey building (3 primary floors with intermediate mezzanine floors) have been arranged nonetheless to find opportunities to maximise the outlook to Wellington’s waterfront, Queens Wharf and Waitangi Park.
Internally, the design of Tākina is deliberately restrained with a material palette that draws from the earthy and vibrant colours of Wellington. Each level of the building is designed around a distinct inner box, which contain the most internalised functions of the programme. The boxes are clad in natural oak timber boards which transition in colour from dark to light stain finishes as you progress up through the levels – tying in with the narrative transition from Paptūānuku (earth mother) to Ranginui (sky father) and the heavens above.
The ground floor of the building houses the main public lobby, a large exhibition space, retail, and café spaces. A services area is located on the eastern edge of the site and includes a service laneway between Cable and Wakefield Streets. A west-facing outdoor courtyard between neighbouring buildings provides light to the midpoint of the public lobby.
The 1,280sqm exhibition space is the largest gallery in New Zealand and has been specifically designed to enable New Zealand to secure and host leading international touring exhibitions and provide an always-changing visitor attraction.
Upper levels of the building are dedicated to the convention centre plenaries and exhibition halls, with supporting kitchen and servicing spaces. Tākina’s convention facilities can comfortably host up to 2,000 delegates in a variety of spaces and flexible configurations.
The building is five-star Green Star design certified – the first conference centre in New Zealand to achieve this standard. As a leading example of sustainable convention centres in New Zealand, the building includes sustainable features and adaptable systems to emit 60-70% less carbon and use 60-70% less energy than similar buildings.
Sustainability features include:
Studio Pacific was established in Wellington in 1992 by the three directors: Nicholas Barratt-Boyes, Stephen McDougall and Evzen Novak.
Prior to establishing the studio, all three directors studied and/or worked together in New Zealand before working for a period in Europe: Evzen studied in Berlin and worked in Switzerland and London, while Nick and Stephen were based in London and worked on projects throughout the U.K. and Europe.
The collective international experience gained by the directors in Europe set the platform and influenced the direction of the practice. From early design competitions and small residential commissions, Studio Pacific has evolved into an award-winning substantial and creative practice with diverse projects throughout New Zealand. Particular recognition has been given to the studio for working with the arts, urban regeneration, housing, masterplanning and contemporary workspace planning.
Studio Pacific undertakes a large range of projects, from small individual furniture items to large projects involving entire new towns. Our small-scale work includes new houses, additions and alterations, and retail work. Our larger schemes include large multi-unit residential and commercial buildings as well as masterplans and landscaping.
We enjoy having a mix of project sizes and types in the studio – each project has different challenges, and offers varied opportunities for us to express our creativity in response.