Many awards

Press, 2 November 1989, Page 31

Many awards

Some well-known and frequently used public buildings in Canterbury have won awards at national level in the past for their architects. One such example would be the Christchurch Air Terminal building which won a gold medal in 1960 for Mr Paul Pascoe. Despite the explosive growth in air and passenger traffic over the ensuing years the terminal building has retained its design integrity. Although • it has been the subject of many additions and some internal alterations in response to increasing demand, the building essentially remains true to Mr Pascoe’s vision. Flexibility was built into the design from the outset, another example of an architect also doubling as a prophet. Mr Pascoe was born

and educated in Christchurch. He studied with the late Christchurch architect, Cecil Wood, and studied in London from 1933 to 1936. He began practice in 1939 and became well known for domestic work and later public buildings including churches and several projects in Arthur’s Pass. He also wrote extensively on the history of architecture in New Zealand. His son, Mr Simon Pascoe, is the current chairman of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. According to a brochure produced to mark the opening of the terminal building, the team responsible for the design and building of the project all worked together well. The conception of the

design of the building originated from an analysis of the first principles of planning for the functional use of the building. When the sketch plans and fundamental design had been approved by the city council and the Government, Mr Pascoe felt that various features of the design should be checked by comparison with overseas work. Consequently, with some assistance from his clients, he made an eightweek tour of the world’s main air centres. As a result, Mr Pascoe was better able to design a general standard of finish well suited to stand the robust wear and tear of terminal life. City ratepayers owe Mr Pascoe a considerable debt of gratitude for his foresight which has meant the airport has never made demands on the public purse.