Architects’ Contest For Town Hall

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30762, 28 May 1965, Page 10

Architects’ Contest For Town Hall

Details of the architectural competition among New Zealand architects for the design of the town hall were announced yesterday by the chairman of the Christchurch City Council’s town hall committee (Cr. H. G. Hay).

The competition will be conducted in two stages. The first, in which a preliminary concept is required, will close on January 31, 1966. The second stage, a final one, with more developed drawings in which only the authors of no fewer than four and not more than six selected designs will participate, will close on May 31, 1966.

The panel of assessors will be Messrs C. Muston (professional adviser), of Wellington, F. de Lisle, of Hamilton, and J. McCoy, of Dunedin, with Crs. G. D. Griffiths and Hay, representing the promoters of the competition. Prizes for the competition will be:—to the author of each of the selected designs at stage 1, £300; to the author of the design placed first at stage 2, £1500; to the author of each of the remaining submissions, £5OO.

If, in the opinion of the assessors, one of the submissions presents a solution of considerably greater merit than any other, making a second stage unnecessary, the assessors may terminate the competition at the first stage. In this event, the assessors may award not fewer than four nor more than six awards of £5OO, and on the completion of stage 2 £lOOO to the winning submission. The conditions of the competition have been approved by the City Council and other participating local bodies and by the New Zealad Institute of Architects. The competition calls not only for a design for specific buildings but also for ideas on how these and subsequent buildings, such as a new library and civic administration block, will be comprised in a lay-out which is to be considered as a continuing design of which the competition is the first stage. The first part of the competition will comprise a town hall to seat 2250 persons and a concert chamber-theatre to accommodate 800, and dedetailed designs will be required for this. Part two will comprise the civic administration building, mayoral suite, council chamber and library, for which limited designs only are required. Among the documents to be supplied to prospective entrants to the competition will be relevant extracts of Professor Gordon Stephenson’s report. Cost Included in the programme of requirements for the competition is the following statement: “The cost is considered by the promoters to be of paramount importance. The total cost of part one should not exceed £l.2m, which will not include professional fees, cost of land, furnishings, seating, carpets.” Cr. Hay said: “I am sure the public of Christchurch will be pleased to see that at last this town hall competition is being launched and that great interest will be aroused in its outcome.

“A very distinguished group of architect assessors has been chosen and considerable thought has gone into the drawing up of the conditions under the direction of Mr Muston. It now remains for the architectural profession of New Zealand to get behind the competition, which I think is probably one of the biggest and most exciting in the history of New Zealand. I hope that a considerable number of entries is submitted and that the public of Christchurch will be well satisfied with the eventual winning choice by the panel of assessors.”