Gallery to go underground?

Press, 25 November 1980, Page 6

Gallery to go underground?

An underground expansion; of the Robert McDougall-Art 1 Gallery — mainly under the? Botanic Gardens which it faces — might be a solution: to the gallery’s space problems, said the director. Dr T.! ! !L. R. Wilson, yesterday. ! i Christchurch City Council;' 'cultural committee members-! (said his idea was interesting I and imaginative, and would! obviously, require a lot of, study. ■,, i 1 Dr Wilson said 'that -al: mainly -underground gallery; i could have turfed-over roofs 'that caused low mounds butl did not threaten existing'! trees to the west and south « of the gallery building. : s I Existing views would beu

ikept and pedestrian traffic's .could be undisturbed. < . Two main galleries could be built underground, >‘Dr< Wilson said. Sunken gardens l ; ! next; to some galleries could T : allow filtered natural light t [into the rooms. I Extra service space and s ! offices could be built m con i [ventiona! buildings between’: the gallery and the rear of i the Canterbury Museum, T The problems,of the exist- 1 ing gallery site" were chaL ; c llenging. They called for “the: sorts of solutions adopted its’i [more densely populated f •countries,” Dr Wilson said, ji i Because of its unusual, v desien, the extended gallery i could become a popular city, 1 attraction for that reason;! alone. Underground galleries, j:

and libraries had been built overseas. . . ;■ " ' Dr Wilson said there could be no doubt that the gallery was only about a third of the size . it should be. It had shortcomings, and a solution to them should be sought soon. Cr Helen Garrett said that a totally new- art gallery was not feasible yet. Dr Wilson's idea was “extremely interesting” and should be seriously investigrbed. 1 Sir Terence McCombs said, it would, require “considerable planning by officers in a tentative way to see whether this is feasible.’’. Cr G. Stone said the. gallery extension might be eEbible to be considered as a; public interest project »1

tlview of the new Government-1 !approved lottery to help raise! •i money for a sports‘stadium' » at Mount Smart in Auckland. .! ■' ; I; He said it might be time J; for the council to come up, >iwith its own lottery prop-1 <osal. ti Dr Wilson said it would rjbe good to get such a pro-. 1 rlject under way in 1982,j •jwhen the gallery was 50, ! ; years old. ' j j It could take several years; I for a proposed extension toj •!go through the planning i review process' because 1 of, ! the , controversy; -raised the possible use of Gardens; ’ land. But that precess Could* |be worth while if the project iwMgood.

• I 'He said there was no !' doubt that a surface level >1 extension with glass corri•dors meandering between i Gardens’ trees to link galle!ry pavilions would be a beautiful structure and in •.harmony with the park envij ronment. He realised that I any building extension into •‘the trees would be resisted. ,| The underground suggesI tion might help to, reconcile differing viewpoints. ? ■ ’ ;.J With a sunken gallery exII tension, the entrance porch i i could, become a .lounge with ! { Gardehs‘ ' viewsri-'.The/ ;‘tar- •; sealed : entrance, area could ;:be returned to Gardens use. I? A new entrance pavilion of steel and glass could b* : i built astride the path south <cf the present gallery. ! ■