New Christ’s College Assembly Hall

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29998, 6 December 1962, Page 27

New Christ’s College Assembly Hall

This architectural design of the Auckland firm of Orchard and Allison has won the competition among old hoys who are architects for an assembly hall for Christ’s College. It will be built on the Rolleston avenue frontage between the main college gates and the Armagh street bridge into Hagley Park, displacing two old twostorey houses at present used as the college offices and a master's house. New college offices with a board room and headmaster’s study upstairs, linked to the new hall at first floor level, will be included at the bridge end. Between the two there will

be a new entrance to the college. Although of contemporary design, the new hall will harmonise with the college dining hall on the south side of the main entrance, the Canterbury Museum further down Rolleston avenue, and neighbouring college buildings. A limited amount of stone facing and slate hanging has been introduced on the side bays of the hall to achieve this effect Prizes Announced

The award was announced by the Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. A. K. Warren), who is warden of the college, at the prize-giving last evening. Assessors in the competition were Bishop Warren, Mr H. G. Helmore, and Dr. G. Rolleston. First prize is £5OO. Seating will be provided in

the hall for about 1400 persons, 830 of them on the ground floor and the rest in a gallery above the entrance. The foyer, with entrance from the quadrangle and Rolleston avenue, will have folding doors into the hall so that it can be brought into the auditorium for extra space on special occasions. The auditorium will be such that it can be used effectively for assemblies and all kinds of musical and theatrical performances. The assessors’ report says the architects have been eminently successful in meeting all these needs without creating the impression of a theatre. The stage arrangements overcome the objections of many Christchurch principals of high schools to the limitations of space imposed by a

proscenium arch and side rooms. The Christ’s College stage will be very wide with an apron extending eight feet into the hall There will be an orchestra pit. Special attention has been paid to acoustics.

As the hall will be used largely in the day-time, windows will be large. They will be modern in treatment and materials but conform well to the style in the nearby dining hail In the basement beneath -the hall there will be a music room, series of practice rooms, band room, and a large parking area for bicycles.

In the architects’ drawing above, the existing dining hall is shown on the left, the new assembly hall in the middle, and the new administration block on the extreme right