123 Vogel St, an action about council process?

123 Vogel St before external building changes [Google Street View]

At Facebook:

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Where to start. Here we have an award winning redevelopment of a substantial old warehouse for new commercial use. Reading the Otago Daily Times today we learn a local businessman questions council process on consenting grounds – apparently, there was an ‘administrative error’ with a set(s) of drawings, and a condition of the resource consent issued for 123 Vogel St was neither correctly tracked or enforced.

Rightly, the businessman doesn’t wish to litigate the matter through the newspaper.

The building owner to his credit has made a large and worthy investment in the building structure and its upgrade for commercial occupancy, revitalising a large segment of the block running between Vogel and Cumberland streets.

Why then would an ungenerous attack by one party not closely involved in the proposed warehouse precinct, be lobbed at this one building owner in such negative and disastrous fashion.

What is at stake. More importantly, what does bringing the action do to enhance the historic built environment, commercial property development, and council processes – if ad hocism (planning rules enforced here, and not there?) is argued as ‘state of play’. Is there any good in an Environment Court challenge – is it ‘vexatious’.

Impartiality, transparency, technical proficiency and fairmindedness is the hoped-for collective quality to be seen in any council operation, particularly in regards to planning matters. How far can ‘the managers’ of the District Plan, a community owned living document, seek room to breathe —or indeed, treat every resource consent application on its individual merits ….for positive precinct and in-zone outcomes, for the avoidance of new (adverse) precedents or laxity of interpretation where the rules go swimming. Where does the line bite.

In practical terms we read that what was built (window-wise at second floor level) does not accord with what was granted by resource consent.

We see minorly dropped sills (pretty? hmm) and a small extra pane of glass added for greater daylighting and liveability, done in such a way that the original scale and depth of the windows remains readable. The intervention isn’t screaming. It is very quiet, and reasonable? Why then did someone fudge the option to be consented. Who did not enforce the agreed design solution? Were affected parties given all proper information as the application processed to decision? Does the error set a precedent for destruction of protected facades and heritage townscape? This most certainly can be argued and tested generally and legally – but probably not with 123 Vogel St hauled to centre stage, pointing up administrative error or wilful and confused intention at DCC if that could be shown…. The second generation district plan public consultation process is perhaps the best place to locate the discussion. Not here, unless there is something else forming the agenda for the current challenge.

Recently, there has been another example of ‘sill dropping’ in the precinct (TH13) at the corner of Rattray and Cumberland Sts. Most people – heritage advocates included – would view the degree of change to sill height as rather subtle in the context of the overall historic heritage ‘Save’. But these details niggle aesthetes and the conscientious.

Is the effect (of design subtleties – a broad tradition….) to cumulatively – with more than minor effect – destroy ‘old’ townscape in the Vogel Street Heritage Precinct, other heritage and townscape precincts, and more widely across the central city —the ‘sense of place’ (held by ‘original’ built fabric) that District Plan policy and rules are designed to constrain, curbing overt changes to external building appearance?

How on earth did this happen at the council? Perhaps the challenge and subsequent ruling (win or lose) will ensure that all comers receive the same level of service in the adminstration of consents and conditions, and the intent of District Plan rules is more strictly adhered to by council planners.

Everyone is entitled to their day in court. The other hope is that DCC is meeting all of Mr Barnes’ legal costs.

If that was the fight advertised on page 1 today.

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OPTION ONE STAYED IN THE CONSENT DECISION …. Option one would have had a new sash and two panes of glass, instead of what was built.

### ODT Online Tue, 20 Jun 2017
Building owner baffled over court action
By David Loughrey
The owner of an award-winning Dunedin warehouse precinct building has been called to face the Environment Court in a case he described yesterday as “vexatious”. The court action calls on 123 Vogel St owner Chris Barnes to remove windows on the second floor and replace them with a design applicant Dunedin businessman John Evans says should have been built under the building’s resource consent. Court documents from Mr Barnes’ counsel describe the action as “utterly baffling”. Mr Barnes has questioned the intentions of Mr Evans, and the court documents ask who Mr Evans is representing, and whether he is “receiving funds from a third party”. Some people involved would not speak on the record but one claimed property interests in “the big end of town” were behind what they saw as an attack on the precinct. […] Mr Evans’ application referred to a condition in the resource consent.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
19.6.17 Vogel Street parking on a quiet Sunday afternoon #petroltheft
1.6.17 Oh noes! One adverse slip of the pen and it’s Over Rover #warehouseprecinct
3.2.17 MORE DCC bull dust and poor investment #Sammy’s
18.12.16 DCC set to take away CBD car parks without Economic Impact research
9.10.16 Vogel Street Party 2016 #randoms
3.10.16 Vogel Street Party 2016 #Dunedin
10.4.16 spilt milk, tears, Unnecessary
23.1.16 Zoning issues: Vogel Street activities
16.12.15 DCC: Restriction of Vehicles from Parts of Jetty Street DECLARED
18.11.15 SAVE Sammy’s (former His Majesty’s Theatre & Agricultural Hall)
24.10.15 DCC and the AWFUL 2GP ‘threat of THREATS’
7.10.15 Vogel Street Party —Sat, 10 October
17.3.15 Dunedin Heritage Re-use Awards
13.3.15 Making heritage work | Dunedin New Zealand
28.10.14 Dunedin’s “period architecture”, not so quaintly….
19.10.14 Dunedin: Randoms from inside warehouse precinct 18.10.14
15.10.14 Vogel St. Street Party | Saturday 18 Oct 3pm – 11pm [2014]
5.8.14 DCC staff-led CBD projects that impact ratepayers | consolidated council debt
22.6.14 Vogel Street Heritage Precinct (TH13)
13.7.13 Cities: Organic renewal3.3.11 Dunedin can provide vacant buildings, warehouses and offices #eqnz
8.3.13 Stupid bid for two-way highway ditched for now #DCC
31.10.12 Cull’s council takes business away from retailers
21.2.11 Dunedin Heritage: Central government should be contributing
19.2.11 Dunedin, are you ‘of a mind’ to protect Historic Heritage?
19.2.11 Reed Building, 75 Crawford Street for demolition?
7.4.10 DScene alerts commercial building owners to responsibilities
24.3.10 DScene features heritage/issues!

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

thoughts and faces #loosematerial

My father [never a follower of the FedUp Farmers, as he deemed them; always the campaigner for removal of farm subsidies, to enhance production and market competition] had ‘stock’ phrases with which to judge the faces of female adversaries, those with little brain or spine in politics, pretenders. One adept phrase that sticks in my mind is “like a horse eating thistles” —so I look on the following with my tinted lens, and laugh, rurally (ruefully). No one target.

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On 19 May @StuFleming tweeted: “Spend $200k, revenue projections of $2.4M to others, 10% margin yields say $240k net”
[minus ODT news photo of face]

As ratepayer not involved in tourism or hospo, I’m wondering what to spend my windfall from Trenz on. Travel? Balclutha or Hampden? https://t.co/kau4b3aDSB

— T. Optional (@TomBoyOptional) May 20, 2017

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Rather bleak. pic.twitter.com/dI41cnqk0u

— Chris (@opetheater) May 20, 2017

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[DUD ‘money hype’ typically depends on false multipliers, anechoic silences, and arrogant self-belief —this (yes) bleak statement applies across a broad range of proposed deals and associated marketing detritus in the city, especially to events, conferences, sport, hospitality and accommodation, and even the re-use (Not conservation) of truly rare and precious instances of historic heritage] Here’s to all the fricking horses out there, including hypocritical colleagues and friends with blinkers like demo balls prepared to squeeze the last dollar and pass us to Hell. Anyway, back to “the business”…. cargo cult tourism. The wider effects of tourism are like those of dairying. Too many eggs in one basket and everybody (I mean, everybody) ends up doing it badly —killing Our Place for generations. Greed, like endorphins, like a running addiction, binds them up. They think they’re bright, they think they’re enablers (read risk takers/investors centred on their own gains only), they think they’re entrepreneurs, better than others (but because I for one will tell you things you don’t want to hear, you’ll say “I’ll ring you tomorrow”, that silence again) but they’re just funneled, tunneled sheepybaas – doing it wrong. Like cows, deer, Chinese gooseberries (Kiwifruit!), wines, stadiums….. or ‘getting a room’ behind the poorly remembered, heavily made-up, Disney’d facade of our city and nationhood. The worst kind didn’t, or didn’t bother to, ‘grow up’ here. They get desperate, create mess, import other yes men. Ring you like nothing happened, their exploits —not to ask deeply madly who and how you really are.

### ODT Online Sat, 20 May 2017
Trenz prompts high aspirations
By David Loughrey
Next year’s Trenz conference in Dunedin is set to cost ratepayers $200,000, but the long-term pay-off should run well into the millions.
The Dunedin City Council will next week be given an idea of the costs to the city of hosting the conference from May 7 to 10, and also the estimated benefits. The city learned last week it would host the tourism industry event next year, bringing up to 1200 international travel and tourism buyers, media and New Zealand tourism operators to Dunedin. It will be the first time the event, run by Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA), has come to Dunedin and the first time it has been hosted outside Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch or Queenstown since it began in the 1960s. Trenz is an opportunity for New Zealand tourism operators to sell their product to buyers, effectively overseas travel agents who put together itineraries for overseas tourists. Attracting more than 350 buyers to experience the tourism products on offer here is considered a huge coup. On average, each buyer sends 4000 visitors a year to New Zealand, totalling 1.5 million. It comes as figures show New Zealand’s tourism market is expected to continue to grow strongly, topping $15 billion by 2023. Tourism contributes more than $690 million to Dunedin’s economy every year.
Read more

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South Islanders woke up to a snowy start this morning with the first Antarctic blast of winter https://t.co/AJsIxO5Pwe pic.twitter.com/0jBfYGEORq

— nzherald (@nzherald) May 19, 2017

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Meanwhile, although we (‘our stock’ NZ) and the UK farm gate look pretty much the same……

‘Herdwick Shepherd’ aka James Rebanks (@herdyshepherd1) farms Herdwick sheep in the English Lake District. Author of bestselling memoir, The Shepherd’s Life:

Still cold up on the fells pic.twitter.com/VsFBL9yJnX

— Herdwick Shepherd (@herdyshepherd1) May 19, 2017

Best thing this week… pic.twitter.com/CKD0DJtAxj

— Herdwick Shepherd (@herdyshepherd1) May 19, 2017

### ODT Online Saturday, 20 May 2017
OE to Britain set to get tougher
Prime Minister Bill English says the Conservative Party’s new plans to clamp down on immigration will sting New Zealanders wanting to live in the United Kingdom, including on the traditional OE, but there is little he can do until Brexit is completed. The British party’s election manifesto includes plans to drastically cut net migration from 273,000 to less than 100,000 by targeting students and those on working visas. It proposes cutting the number of skilled migrants to get visas, higher levies on employers who take on migrant workers and tripling the National Health Service immigration health surcharge from £200 to £600 ($NZ380 to $NZ1130) a year for those in the UK on visas of more than six months and 450 for international students. That surcharge increase will also affect those on the traditional OE, although there is no mention of scrapping the two-year youth mobility visa which allows young New Zealanders to get a two-year visa to work and travel in the United Kingdom. Mr English said the changes would affect those on their OE but they would have to grin and bear it until Brexit was completed. NZME.
Read more

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Super City mayor Phil Goff has a plan for getting money from tourists – it bears some similarity to that of the Mongrel Mob……

Amid talk of hotel taxes and tourist levies, Winston Aldworth says New Zealanders are missing a bigger opportunity https://t.co/oJNUiMesTL

— nzherald (@nzherald) May 19, 2017

### NZ Herald Thu, 18 May 2017
Winston Aldworth: Seeking the smart money
OPINION What do Phil Goff and the Mongrel Mob have in common? As hundreds of travel industry figures from all around the world gathered in Auckland for last week’s Trenz conference, one of the many topics up for discussion was the Auckland mayor’s enthusiasm for a hotel bed tax on visitors to the city. Meanwhile, up north at Ahipara on Ninety Mile Beach, three German tourists were approached by two local Mongrel Mob members who told them that they were on Maori land, and had to pay koha. They also told the tourists they’d be taking a few of their cigarettes. A tobacco tax, if you will. Perhaps their plan for putting heavy taxes on visitors was inspired by the Super City mayor. Goff’s bed tax is about as blunt an instrument as the Mob’s shakedown. “Look there’s a foreigner! Let’s get a couple of bucks off them.” The airport tax introduced by John Key a year ago is equally clumsy. It’s a travesty that these tariffs are the best we can come up with for making money out of tourism. Yes, other countries put dull levies on visitor arrivals, but that’s no reason to follow suit. We New Zealanders pride ourselves on being innovators, so let’s find innovative ways to get more money out of the tourism sector. Both Goff and Key were ministers in governments that did everything they could to remove tariffs from the dairy trade. Today, the best and brightest marketing wallahs of Goff’s inner circle are putting forward a plan no more sophisticated than one devised by two Mongrel Mob members standing on a Northland beach. I’m not against making money out of tourists — quite the opposite, in fact. I think it’s terrific that our country can be boosted by an industry that encourages us to care for our environment, celebrate the things that make our culture unique and spreads revenue quickly and efficiently to the regions. But how about instead of putting a dumb tax on the visitors, we upsell them? Take their money at the gate for sure, but give them something special in return.
Read more

Enough randomising. More rain and ice falls.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

NZ Loan and Mercantile : Concept and master plan by architect Paul Ries

Letting the building “tell its story”, involves retaining and keeping exposed as many historic features as possible.

### ODT Online Wed, 4 May 2016
Redevelopment revised (+ video)
By Vaughan Elder
Owner Russell Lund’s previous plans to redevelop the three-storey 143-year-old heritage warehouse building in Thomas Burns St involved building 24 long-term apartments on the top floor, but he told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he had changed tack. He has brought over United States architect and friend Paul Ries, who has drawn up ambitious plans to convert the two top floors into more than 50 short-stay apartments, with the ground floor used as a commercial space.
Read more + Gallery

Otago Daily Times Published on May 3, 2016
Dunedin Loan and Mercantile building

█ Site Plan and Images: Paul Ries | Supplied by Russell Lund

Related Posts and Comments:
6.8.15 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building —meeting tomorrow
13.3.15 Making heritage work | Dunedin New Zealand
28.11.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building —Resource Consent granted (pics)
26.11.14 Retraction (see comment on ‘Heritage Counts’)
26.9.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building —what ESCO said!
30.8.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building: Looking round at potential
18.8.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building #randomsmartphonepix (interiors)
17.8.14 Public Notices: NZ Loan and Mercantile Building… (site tour, hearing)
13.8.14 Chamber’s Own Goals —Heritage (letters)
11.8.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building (audio)
8.8.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Agency Co Ltd Building…
18.3.14 Dunedin Harbourside: English Heritage on portside development
21.10.13 Harbourside: Access to a revamped Steamer Basin has public backing
24.10.09 Rodney Wilson: Dunedin as national heritage city

█ For more, enter the terms *harbourside*, *heritage* or *lund* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Building Owner | Architect

Vogel Street Party —Sat, 10 October

Admission: FREE

The inaugural Vogel Street Party was held last year in conjunction with the first ever Dunedin Street Art Festival; this year’s event will again be staged in the warehouse precinct and will collaborate with the Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature group for a party themed around Literature and Light.

LITERATURE To celebrate Dunedin’s creative city status as a UNESCO City of Literature Dunedin, New Zealand. You can find us sitting alongside only 10 other cities in the world that hold this status, including Edinburgh, Melbourne, Dublin, Prague & more.

LIGHT As 2015 is the International Year of Light, the VSP will be Dunedin’s major effort to join in the world-wide celebration of light and light based technologies.

The events, exhibitions and activities will follow these themes and showcase the talent and creativity we have hidden in our city.

The Vogel Street Party 2015 — fun attractions for people of all ages.
PARTY STARTS 10 October at 3pm.
Note start times vary for Open Hours at Heritage Buildings.

█ Webpage: http://vogelstparty.nz/

█ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1611938749075531/

█ Download: Vogel Street Party PROGRAMME

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OPEN Buildings [excerpt from programme – click to enlarge]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Captain Cook Hotel adaptive re-use

354 Great King Street [Google Street View Nov 2012]

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### ODT Online on Wed, 5 Aug 2015
Bringing ‘The Cook’ back to life
By Damian George
Patrons will be able to toast the reopening of Dunedin’s historic Captain Cook Tavern by Christmas, the project’s architect says. The venue, a popular jaunt for Dunedin’s student population, was founded in 1860 but closed in June last year. […] Architect Ed Elliott, of Queenstown company Elliott Architects Ltd, said a large emphasis of the refurbishment was placed on preserving the building’s character when design plans were drawn up.
Read more

█ The Cook Hotel is now at 70% seismic strengthening.

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Otago Daily Times Published on Aug 4, 2015
Bringing ‘The Cook’ back to life
Patrons will be able to toast the reopening of Dunedin’s historic Captain Cook Tavern by Christmas, the project’s architect says.

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Michael Brown established the hotel in 1864. The original “Cook”, a wooden structure, was pulled down in 1873 to make way for a brick and stone building which stands today. The replacement was designed by architect David Ross (1828-1908).

Otago Witness 29.11.1873 Issue 1148 (page 19)

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### otago.ac.nz Otago Magazine Issue 40
Whatever happened to…
The Cook?
There would be few Otago alumni who don’t have some sort of story about The Cook.
Built in the 1870s, The Captain Cook Hotel (to use its full name) has been part of North Dunedin as long as the University of Otago itself, becoming woven into the backdrop of student life.
When word of its imminent closure started circulating in 2013 it is fair to say there was widespread dismay at the loss of what was seen as a Dunedin institution. On the day it closed its doors, in June 2013, people who had not set foot in the pub since they were students made sure they went in to toast The Cook and to share their stories and memories.
Since then the two-storey brick building has been wrapped in a scaffolding cocoon while a transformation takes place. The owners – Chris James, Noel Kennedy and Greg Paterson – are having the building taken back to its original look, right down to the old traditional corner entrance to the downstairs front bar.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Vogel St. Street Party | Saturday 18 Oct 3pm – 11pm [2014]

Updated post 7.11.14 at 6:18 p.m.

What change, collaboration and vision can do!

[click to enlarge]

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████ Download Map Guide for activity locations and booking information at http://vogelandbond.org/assets/VogelStreetPartyGuide.pdf

Related Posts and Comments:
█ 19.10.14 Dunedin: Randoms from inside warehouse precinct 18.10.14 [photos]
█ 22.6.14 Vogel Street Heritage Precinct (TH13) [photos]
5.8.14 DCC staff-led CBD projects that impact ratepayers | ….council debt
28.9.14 “DCC entitlement” about to ramrod change at CBD #manipulation

█ Photos by Glen Hazelton (Tumblr)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Vogel Street Heritage Precinct (TH13)

Street improvements under way for the redeveloped warehouses and other commercial buildings in the heritage precinct, including new light stands, plantings and protrusions — photographed last Saturday (14.6.14). Highly coloured seats and rubbish bins have yet to be installed. Read more about the project here.
Click map to enlarge.

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Bike stands and a light stand outside Queens Gardens House, cnr Rattray Street:

Light stand outside Phoenix House (45 Queens Gardens):

Looking south from Phoenix House along the west side of Vogel Street:

Looking north from Phoenix House to Queens Gardens:

Former NMA buildings (note badly scaled and positioned sign):

Landscaping and protrusions for safe crossing:

Other views (including the former Donald Reid Store at 77 Vogel Street):

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Warehouse Precinct Revitalisation Plan (PDF, 3.6 MB)
This Plan seeks to support the revitalisation to ensure the important historic Warehouse Precinct area becomes a vibrant and successful part of the central city, once again.

Dunedin Warehouse Precinct by Alexander Trapeznik, 2014, 188 pages with map and illustrations (PDF, 9.91MB)

Dunedin’s warehouse district is a newly rediscovered treasure. Spanning the few blocks stretching from the harbour-side to Princes Street, from Queens Gardens to the Oval, for many years this area slipped out of the public eye. The grid-pattern street layout contains a dense mixture of commercial and industrial buildings, typically between two and four storeys high. Many have a decorative façade to the street and plain brick or masonry walls facing their neighbours. Some became derelict, others home to a variety of uses. A few have been demolished to create car parks. Recently, many of the buildings have become the subject of renewed enthusiasm, being strengthened, refurbished, repainted and valued once again. –Trapeznik

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Post and images by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Heritage Re-use Awards @Wall Street mall

This year’s Dunedin Heritage Re-use Award winners will be announced later this week at Wall Street mall.

The Awards celebrate excellence, innovation and sensitivity in the re-use of heritage buildings in Dunedin and include categories for earthquake strengthening, interiors and overall re-use. A student design competition is also held during the year, which challenges students to develop innovative solutions to the re-use of Dunedin’s older buildings.

If not invited to the Awards Ceremony check out the exhibition during shop hours. The board display is located near Marbecks cafe and the Lifts at Wall Street. [● Inconveniently. the exhibition closed on the night of the Awards, Wednesday 26 March]

Enticements. Here’s a selection of student ‘re-use’ studies for the Athenaeum in the lower Octagon, taken by cameraphone on Friday. The building is owned by entrepreneur Lawrie Forbes.

Love the (lowrise) tower, it accents the building successfully for functional and community use.

The Awards are judged by a panel that includes Dunedin City Councillors, representatives from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the local branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and the Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand, and building owners.

█ This year’s Award winners are revealed here.
The names of last year’s Award winners are listed here.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Growth fetish ? Urban sprawl v Higher density living ?

### onenesspublishing.com March 20, 2013
Urban sprawl isn’t to blame: unsustainable cities are the product of growth fetish
By Brendan Gleeson
In a recent article on The Conversation Robert Nelson argues we are all morally culpable for unsustainable urban sprawl. He goes on to suggest we fix this by taking advantage of opportunities for higher density development in sparsely populated inner suburbs. But his argument is based on a false opposition: mounting evidence shows that high density development in inner areas performs very poorly in terms of resource consumption and greenhouse emissions. The idea that outer suburbs are inherently less sustainable than inner ones doesn’t bear scrutiny. The key question is not where we accommodate growth; it’s our slavish pursuit of growth itself.
Read more

● Brendan Gleeson is Professor in Urban Policy Studies at University of Melbourne.

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The Conversation hosts in-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.

Read two articles by Robert Nelson at The Conversation:

The grass isn’t greener in the outer ‘burbs (7 March 2013, 6.43am AEST)
“For a long a time real estate close to the palace was socially desirable, and anyone with aspirations didn’t want to know about the rest. Today in Melbourne inner-city people are embarrassed to reveal knowledge of the outer suburbs such as South Morang, like 17th century Parisians who would mispronounce the street-names of poorer areas or affect not to know them at all. Throughout history, the distribution of wealth has had a geographical expression. Snobbery, however, is only part of the challenge of urban geography. Power and privilege are concentrated within 10kms of the city centre.”

The devaluing dream; why Australian suburbia is an economic disaster (11 January 2012, 6.22am AEST)
“In spite of what everyone believes through natural pride and vanity, the family house is an asset that depreciates. Don’t be deceived that the value of property goes up and up, which of course it does. The rising prices are caused by the land becoming more expensive, not the house itself.”

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: shutterstock.com – urban expansion

Dunedin Heritage Re-use Awards

The winners of Dunedin’s annual Heritage Re-use Awards were announced last night at a ceremony at Wall Street.

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
20 Mar 2013

Dunedin Heritage Re-use Award Winners Announced

The overall winner this year was the NMA building in Water Street, Dunedin, which also won the interiors section for the Psychology Associates Offices.

This is the third year of the awards, which celebrate excellence, innovation and sensitivity in the re-use of heritage buildings in Dunedin and include categories for earthquake strengthening, interiors and overall re-use. A student design competition is also held during the year, which challenges students to develop innovative solutions to the re-use of Dunedin’s older buildings. The awards and competition are an initiative of the Dunedin Heritage Buildings Re-use Steering Group.

The awards are judged by a panel including Dunedin City Councillors, representatives from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the local branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and the Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand, and building owners.

Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull sees the awards “as acknowledging the efforts of those who strive to maintain and enhance the unique heritage character of Dunedin”.

Cr Lee Vandervis, who headed the building judging panel, says both of the two main winners – the NMA Building and Knox College – “showed remarkably imaginative and cost-effective solutions to earthquake strengthening while retaining all practicable heritage features.

“The NMA building has been turned from a unused liability into a delightfully revealed cornerstone of Dunedin history with superb creation of character spaces ideal for its new tenants. Knox College has been a large extraordinary earthquake strengthening project shoe-horned into the tightest of time frames without compromising heritage features and still managing to maintain a very sensitive level of attention to detail.”

Cr Jinty MacTavish says the two winning entries in the student design competition “demonstrated a clear commitment to retaining and showcasing key heritage features, while at the same time addressing the practical needs of well-defined anchor tenants.”

Judges in this category were for a second year running impressed with the work of Peter Rozecki-Lewis, who also took out the top honours in this category in 2012.

Nominations for next year’s awards can be made any time before 20 December. Further details are available at www.dunedin.govt.nz/heritage

WINNERS

Oakwood Properties Earthquake Strengthening Award
Sean O’Neill – Hanlon and Partners for Knox College

Barlow Justice/New Zealand Historic Places Trust Heritage Interiors Award
Psychology Associates Offices, NMA Building

Dunedin Heritage Re-use Award
NMA Building, Water Street

Dunedin Heritage Re-use Design Competition
Individual winner: Peter Rozecki-Lewis
Team winner: Laura Hughes and Campbell McNeill

Highly Commended:
Dunedin Heritage Re-use Award
Otago Settlers Museum

Contact Policy Planner (Heritage) on 477 4000.

DCC Link

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Town Hall, Dunedin Centre, Municipal Chambers #linked

Strengthened and up to code, pity about the debt – and DVML

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### ODT Online Thu, 7 Mar 2013
RSA choir to ‘open’ town hall on Anzac Day
By Debbie Porteous
After nearly three years and more than $45 million spent on restorations and improvements, Dunedin’s town hall and neighbouring Dunedin Centre are scheduled to reopen next month. And on April 25, a group with long links to the venue, the Dunedin RSA Choir, will be the first to perform there. Choir member David More said they were looking forward to returning to the town hall with their Anzac Day Revue. ”Norma”, the town hall organ, was protected and had fans removed and replaced, but was not otherwise touched during the project, which included work on the town hall, Glenroy auditorium and municipal chambers.

● Contractors would be busy getting the centre ready for handing over to council-owned venue management company Dunedin Venues Ltd by April 5.
● The centre will be officially reopened at a civic reception on April 24.

Read more

Dunedin Town Hall, Burton Bros (Te Papa Collections)

History and significance?
Read the Heritage New Zealand (HNZ) – Registration Reports:
Municipal Chambers – Category 1 (List No. 2197)
Dunedin Town Hall and Concert Chamber – Category 2 (List No. 2150)

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Related Posts and Comments:
6.2.12 Ownership and management of the Dunedin Town Hall complex…
2.11.12 Community halls of small-town New Zealand
15.3.11 Cr Dave Cull speech to Town Hall Meeting
21.1.11 DCC opens controversy on Town Hall upgrade, again!
21.7.10 DCC Media Release – Contract let for Town Hall upgrade
2.7.09 Town Hall: Glazed cube and square for Moray Place
1.7.09 Town Hall Dunedin Centre architecture for a What if? second

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Demolition by neglect. Townscape precincts.

About which, belated (after parapet failure) “buying of engineering opinion” can make sure historic buildings come down for car parks.

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On Friday, Karen Ratten of St Kilda had a letter to the editor published, ‘Why the long delay in demolition?’ (ODT 29.6.12). Ms Ratten is firstly concerned about three car parks being currently unavailable for use outside Brocklebanks Building in King Edward St, South Dunedin. She then asks why the hold up with the building’s demolition?

The question could have been, why is demolition of the listed building required at all (the building has facade protection in the district plan and is located in a listed townscape precinct) – if it’s to create interim on-site parking? Given it was (still is!) possible to tie the building together and restore it, or retain the historic facade and erect a new building behind – thereby removing the public safety issue altogether.

DCC’s Alan Worthington, Resource Consents manager, provides reply including an inference (we’re way past generalities here, Alan) that archaeological authority processes required by New Zealand Historic Places Trust for the building have contributed to delay of demolition. This is not so. He then intimates something more useful, saying: “At the same time there may be other matters the building owner is dealing with.” Bingo. Just maybe, the Brocklebank family trust hasn’t finalised building plans in order to apply for resource consent. Who knew!

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The other site…

### ODT Online Sat, 30 Jun 2012
Buildings’ demise imminent
By Debbie Porteous
Scenic Circle Hotel Group director Stuart McLauchlan confirmed a crane that went up behind the N. & E.S. Paterson Ltd and Barron buildings in Rattray St this week would be bringing the partially demolished buildings down within “days”. Two separate sections of the 136-year-old Barron Building collapsed in January 2011; parapets fell on to the roof causing it to collapse inwards onto the second storey.
Read more

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The Barron Building, originally known as the Banks, Barron & Co. Building, was designed by architect Henry F. Hardy, and constructed circa 1875. The Victorian-era warehouse later received a very fine interior by architect Owen E. MacFie. The first bottling plant for Speights was housed in the basement (still intact) – potentially, a stunning adjunct to Speight’s Alehouse and heritage tours.

According to specialist engineers the Barron Building could have been saved following collapse of the parapet.

Keeping up a building of this scale is not usually prohibitive, cost wise – it does require diligence. It can ‘come down’ to having motivated owners and investors.

Long before parapet failure, Barron Building required conscientious owner-stewards to carry out cyclical maintenance (seeing to weathertightness, gutter cleaning, keeping pigeons out, removing vegetation and trees from mortar, repointing and so on) and regular structural assessment towards enhancing building performance – with all resulting work to be costed and carried out in stages (at its most affordable – given that for many many years Dunedin City Council has practised leniency towards building owners in regards to bringing buildings up to code).

All the people saying pull the old buildings down because they’re “eyesores” (see ODT news report above) and asking why private building owners should be put to the cost of saving old structures like these – the answer, respectfully, is that they need to get out a bit, to see for themselves what’s actually going on in the neighbourhood.

Building owners (good investors), with vision and means, are set on maintaining, strengthening and upgrading their heritage buildings. Their efforts are attracting higher paying tenants; and incrementally/cumulatively they are raising property values in the old CBD. It’s known as “regeneration”. If you’re a building investor who isn’t participating in this upward movement (where’s your diligence?) and your property is going backwards, you need to ask yourself what’s the sense in being left behind? Get educated. Those caring for heritage building stock are starting to make real money now and for the long term. They’ve done their sums, they know what it takes.

A sizeable cluster of Dunedin’s historic buildings in the area have been or are in the process of being strengthened and re-used. They include (no particular order): Old BNZ Bank, Standard Building, Old National Bank, Bing Harris Building, Clarion Building, Bracken Court (Moray Pl), Queens Garden Court, NMA Building (former Union Steam Ship Co, Water St), former Rogan McIndoe Print Building (Crawford St), 14 Dowling St, Garrison Hall (Dowling St), former Stavely Building (cnr Bond and Jetty Sts), Wood Adams Building (19 Bond St), former Chief Post Office, former Donald Reid Store (Vogel St), Milne Brebner Building (Vogel St), 366 Princes St… and more besides.

Again, WHY are we losing the likes of Barron Building, N. & E.S. Paterson Building, and Brocklebanks Building?

If you are a heritage building owner wanting to access available information that could help you conserve, strengthen and save your building, contact Glen Hazelton, DCC Policy Planner (Heritage) phone 4774000 – or Owen Graham, NZHPT Area Manager (Otago Southland) phone 4779871.

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### ODT Online Tue, 7 Sep 2010
Measures urged to protect heritage buildings
By John Gibb
Relatively cheap and simple measures can protect many of Dunedin’s heritage buildings from much of the kind of earthquake damage evident in Christchurch, structural engineer Lou Robinson says.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
8.5.12 Owners of neglected buildings
25.8.11 180 Rattray St, Dunedin: Proposed historic building demolition…
12.4.11 Public outrage – SHAME on those re$pon$ible for building neglect
4.3.11 Reaction to another instance of unthinking ad-hocism from City Hall
19.2.11 Owner of Dragon Café/Barron Building has lodged an application…
26.1.11 D Scene: Honour heritage
22.1.11 SAVE Dragon Café / Barron Building – Sign the Online Petition
13.1.11 Barron Building and Rattray Street
13.1.11 Banks, Barron & Co Building Collapse pics

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin: Nominations for heritage re-use awards close next week

Nominations and entries must be received by Tuesday 20 December 2011 at 5pm

* Oakwood Properties Earthquake Strengthening Award
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/dunedin-heritage/earthquake-strengthening-award

* Barlow Justice/NZHPT Heritage Interiors Award
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/dunedin-heritage/interiors-award

* Dunedin Heritage Re-use Award
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/dunedin-heritage/dunedin-heritage-re-use-award

The nomination process is simple – nominate the person(s) you would like to see recognised for their work.

The awards evening will be held in March 2012.

For more information, contact Glen Hazelton
Policy Planner (Heritage), City Planning, Dunedin City Council

50 The Octagon, Dunedin; PO Box 5045, Moray Place, Dunedin 9058
Phone: 03 477 4000; Fax: 03 474 3451
Email: glen.hazelton@dcc.govt.nz; www.dunedin.govt.nz

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Another outrage of trite ill-informed force of change: Maltexo, Ward St

Another horny tale. Yes, the complete failure of a developer to carry out ANY heritage building assessment for the industrial site that would have told him which valuable components to retain on site, for good stewardship of the Dunedin harbourside’s architectural character and integrity.

The developer says he has spoken to architects – he might have. The question is which ones – no architects currently working out of Dunedin have the professional accreditation necessary to offer a heritage assessment or building conservation advice – plenty of the local boys need work.

The Maltexo sign, while iconic, is paint on a simple brick wall of a simple shed (a simple feature to retain and keep maintained in situ if desired); however, it is NOT the most valuable architectural historical component to be retained on site – the frontage of the gabled building immedately south of the sign on Ward St, is.

To a lesser extent, a small number of brick sheds to the rear of the site, in fair to reasonable condition, could have been architecturally integrated into any new industrial complex.

Mr Barnes can file his comments where the sun doesn’t shine.

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“Key to the industrial area is revitalising these sites … This is a cornerstone, modern, highly visible site which is what businesses are looking for.” –Chris Barnes, developer

### ODT Online Mon, 25 Apr 2011
$2 million business park by end of the year
By Simon Hartley
A $2 million business park is due to be completed in Dunedin by the end of the year. It will be built on land now occupied by the former Maltexo factory, which is scheduled for demolition. Last November, Dunedin property investor Chris Barnes bought the lessee’s interest in the site, on the corner of Ward and Halsey Sts, with the deal to be closed on completion of demolition; scheduled by June 30.
Read more

Don’t you love a man of largesse. We should be pleased?
Lest we forget, thanks too, to Port Otago Limited and its subsidiary Chalmers Properties’ current property manager.

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Related Posts and Comments:
6.2.11 Hurt Inside [photographs]
27.1.11 Good-bye to MALTEXO, Ward Street – Dunedin Harbourside

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Ricardo Bofill’s cement factory

Industrial heritage, exquisite.

Location: Barcelona, Spain

### yatzer.com 26 January 2011
A former Cement Factory is now the workspace and residence of Ricardo Bofill
By Marcia Argyriades
The Cement Factory was discovered in 1973, it was an abandoned cement factory and partially in ruins, comprised of over 30 silos, underground galleries and huge engine rooms; Ricardo Bofill bought it and began renovation works. He identified the program; The Cement Factory was to be used as architectural offices, archives, a model laboratory, and exhibition space, an apartment for him, as well as guest rooms and gardens.

He defined the space by demolishing certain structures, cleaning cement, exposing previously concealed structures and creating the landscape architecture by planting various plants such as eucalyptus, palms, olive trees and cypresses; renovation works lasted nearly two years.

Images courtesy of Ricardo Bofill

“To be an architect means to understand space, to understand space organised by [people], to decipher the spontaneous movements and behaviour of people, and to detect the needs of change that they might unconsciously express. It is essential to track down these issues if we want to contribute with our personal work to the history of architecture.” Ricardo Bofill

Read more

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Then there are all the reasons why “Dunedin” failed to adapt and re-purpose elements of the Maltexo industrial complex in Ward St…
27.1.11 Good-bye to MALTEXO, Ward Street – Dunedin Harbourside
6.2.11 Hurt inside

And why the Barron Building of Rattray St and a few others in the immediate area may be transparently viewed as working examples of ‘demolition by neglect’. We have the list, we have the addresses, we know the names…

12.4.11 Public outrage – SHAME on those re$pon$ible for building neglect
For further posts and comments on the Barron Building, enter “Barron” in the search box at right.

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### radionz.co.nz Sunday, 17 April 2011 8:12am
Insight: Heritage Buildings
When it comes to heritage buildings, there’s no shortage of people who want to keep them standing. Supporters argue they are important to a region’s history. But Dunedin correspondent, Lorna Perry asks should the building’s owner be solely responsible for the cost of heritage or should the public be footing more of the bill?
Audio Ogg Vorbis MP3 (duration: 27′48″)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr