Aurora Energy lines, Lindsay Rd, Caversham, Dunedin

iPhone Videos by Rose McRobie

Aurora Energy lines in residential Lindsay Rd, Caversham during the heavy winds last week. The street is located not far north of Lookout Point on the west side of the Southern Motorway.

● Some of the lines in the videos are supported by red-tagged poles.
● Delta has previously said the concrete poles here are prone to concrete cancer – the surface has pitted allowing moisture to corrode their steel reinforcing.
● Some lines are touching one another or tangling in the heavy winds.
● One resident when standing in his section can nearly touch the sagging lines in no-wind conditions….

idunedin Published on Jan 23, 2017
Aurora Energy lines (1 of 3)
IMG 1910 –

idunedin Published on Jan 23, 2017
Aurora Energy lines (2 of 3)
IMG 1911 –

idunedin Published on Jan 23, 2017
Aurora Energy lines (3 of 3)
IMG 1912 –

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Significant tree: 28 Argyle Street Mosgiel – LUC-2015-296

As a community board member and a businessman-resident, Martin Dillon, it seems, has set a precedent for removal of (District Plan listed) Significant Trees from the streets of Mosgiel township. Not only this, his community board supports the destruction of many community-established trees at Mosgiel’s Memorial Gardens – to make way for a new swimming pool complex. Earlier this year the community board was ultimately responsible for destruction of the community’s beautification scheme at Gladstone Road (railway corridor).
That’s one hell of a lot of greenery you’ve seen wiped off the planet, Mr Dillon.
SHAME ON YOU

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ANOTHER APPLICATION FOR REMOVAL – A COPPER BEECH THIS TIME
The tree is prettier than the freaking house beside it.

Significant tree – 28 Argyle Street Mosgiel – LUC-2015-296
Closes: 28/08/2015
Notification of Application for a Resource Consent – Under Section 93(2) of the Resource Management Act 1991.
The Dunedin City Council has received the following application for Resource Consent:

Application description
To remove a tree that is listed in the Dunedin City District Plan under Schedule 25.3 as T151 (Copper Beech).

Application documents
● LUC-2015-296 – Public notice (PDF, 34.6 KB)
This document is the Public Notice for Resource Consent application LUC-2015-296

● LUC-2015-296 – Submission 13 form (PDF, 78.2 KB)
This document can be used to make a submission regarding Resource Consent application LUC-2015-296

● LUC-2015-296 – Application (PDF, 530.0 KB)
This document is a scanned copy of the application for resource consent LUC-2015-296

Notified resource consent details
Closing date: 28/08/2015
Consent number: Significant tree – 28 Argyle Street Mosgiel – LUC-2015-296

Name of applicant: M J Sproule & J A Maxwell

Location of site: 28 Argyle Street, Mosgiel, being that land legally described as Lot 3 Deposited Plan, 470637 held in Computer Freehold Register 636380

Address for service: M J Sproule & J A Maxwell, 34A Ayr Street, Mosgiel 9024

Online submissions: Online submission form

█ http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council-online/notified-resource-consents/current-consultation/significant-tree-28-argyle-street-Mosgiel

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LUC-2015-296 [excerpts from application]

█ DCC on Significant Trees
█ Dunedin City District Plan — Schedule 25.3 Significant Trees (PDF, 275.6 KB)

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Related Posts and Comments:
24.7.15 Hands off Mosgiel Memorial Gardens
20.3.15 DESTROYED, beautification project —Railway corridor, Gladstone Road
14.12.14 Significant Tree: 23 Church St, Mosgiel [Applicant: M L & M C Dillon]
15.5.14 Significant Tree: 28A Heriot Row
22.2.13 DCC: Significant Trees

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Facadism: 3%, 10%, 50%, 75%, 99.9% (how much is enough) | University of Otago warps Castle Street

University of Otago OUCA Childcare Centre
541-559 Castle Street

Architects: Parker Warburton Team Architects
Structural and Fire Engineers: Stevenson Brown Ltd
Main Contractor: Amalgamated Builders Ltd (ABL)

The university is building a new childcare centre in Castle Street, opposite the historic Selwyn College, on sites formerly given to a row of timbered bay villas. The facility will provide room for 140 equivalent full-time (FTE) children – boosting childcare capacity at the university by 50%. Years ago, the houses together with others like them were mooted for demolition to provide new lecture theatres. Along came work on the Campus Master Plan to change that and what is now the decision to save the ‘appearance’ of the villas to the street – with a ‘small-person village’ tucked in behind. It’s facadism, and it’s terribly thin. The villas weren’t listed for protection in the district plan.

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On completion, the new childcare centre will probably collect one or more NZIA Southern Architecture Awards based on ingenuity, subtle(?) mixing of ‘kiwi’ Disneyland veneer, concept, scale, well-programmed function, urban design, and finishing. After all, the university has spent $200,000 on the design and used award winning architects. But is it kosher to slice the bays off period villas and ‘reconstitute’ them by nailing onto new buildings? Not sure, will wait until the opening in March to finally pronounce.

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In the meantime there’s no debating that scale and proportion are correct, and the design has sensitivity on many counts. Will the built linkages, with under-roofs, between buildings read correctly and convincingly to the street? Does it matter anyway, given the facility replaces buildings the university fudged and devalued over many years for temporary use? The landscaping to street and within the block will be superior. What’s not to like?

Possibly, the ‘what’s not to like’ is that others in the building design trade will try to mimic (badly) the facadist tactics – the ‘chainsaw precedent’ having been set – as they gormlessly, constructively, work to erode historic heritage values of individual buildings and townscape values within some of our better but neglected Victorian/Edwardian era residential streets. Like streets in the North Dunedin campus area where tight sections and medium building density are found; places where developers having landbanked aren’t of a mind to fully demolish. Whether this turns truly bad, like all building fashions, will depend on the number of occurrences and scale of endeavour. When you do something (was it) cutting edge, it’s the followers you should worry about.

In its favour, this ‘academic’ dalliance with facadism, chainsaw-massacre or whatever it’s called – and alright, the institutional client has a reasonably high standard of architectural design and heritage-retention – is aesthetically far superior to the ‘piss-poor’ gouges and severe ghetto-esque rebuilds now going on in former working cottage character streets, like Grange and Leith.

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Otago Bulletin Board
Uni News: Site of new Childcare facility blessed
The new state-of-the-art facility will offer places for significantly more children than the existing centre in Great King Street, and will include a bilingual centre, landscaped external play space, dining and quiet sleep rooms, as well as non-contact and administration areas. All 11 buildings on both the Castle Street and Montgomery Avenue sides of the project will be demolished, with the exception of the period Edwardian facades of the five villas on Castle Street which will be restored. Property Services Project Manager Christian German says “The condition and arrangement of the existing buildings, as well as the need to carry out seismic strengthening, means that re-building is the most cost-effective option. However, by retaining and restoring the villa facades, the view on Castle Street will be improved without changing significantly.” The facility will provide 140 full-time equivalent (FTE) child places, including 28 nought- to five-year-olds in the bilingual centre. There will also be two nurseries and two whānau units each catering for 40 two- to five-year-olds.

*restored is a loaded word

Otago University Childcare Association
The OUCA has four new childcare centres under construction on Campus, opening April 2014. They will sit alongside Te Kaupapa ō Rōpu Tiaki Tamaiti (College Centre) 137 Union Street East. All children enrolled at the existing Nursery, Preschool and Fulltime Centres will transfer to the new centres. Link

ODT Coverage:
8.1.14 Photograph, site view (page 14). University childcare centre takes shape. Peter MacIntosh. No link available.

14.8.13 ‘Good progress’ at uni childcare facility site
The facades of period villas in Castle St were being removed for repair and restoration. These facades would be retained as part of the new development in their original positions opposite Selwyn College. Link

18.7.13 University child-care site cleared
University plans to build a $6.25 million child-care centre in Castle St are moving closer to reality as demolition work continues. Eleven buildings, in Montgomery Ave and Castle St, will be demolished to make way for the project, although the facades of five Victorian villas in Castle St will be retained. The new centre would include landscaped internal play space, as well as dining and quiet sleep rooms. Link

13.6.13 Blessing for childcare centre
The childcare centre would integrate three current centres into one. “The concept is a village for children on campus with lots of trees and natural materials.” Demolition of existing buildings on the site is scheduled to begin on June 24, and the centre is scheduled to open next March. Link

4.4.13 University plans major building projects
The only large new project on which the university has publicly committed to begin construction this year is a $6.254 million childcare centre in Castle St. The draft design for the centre was almost complete and construction was to begin in June. Link

22.12.12 New daycare centre
The university plans to build a new “state-of-the-art” childcare centre on Castle St next year. The centre would be located on Castle St opposite Selwyn College and retain the Edwardian facades of existing villas. The need for earthquake strengthening and the condition and arrangement of the existing buildings meant rebuilding was the most cost-effective option. $200,000 was spent on the design of the new centre, but the construction budget was under wraps. Once the new centre was built, the facility on Great King St would revert to accommodation or academic use. Link
Sketch of the new eight-gabled building. Montgomery Avenue elevation.
Parker Warburton

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC: Significant Trees

Dunedin City Council
Media Release
Only a few have spoken for the trees

This item was published on 21 Feb 2013.

With less than a week to go before nominations close on 1 March, the DCC has received 33 nominations for significant trees to be included in the second generation District Plan.

Twelve of these have been made since the nomination period opened in December, and the remainder have been made since the last review of the Significant Tree Schedule (April 2008).

The nominations cover a range of tree species including totara, magnolia, pine, a variety of beeches, rhododendron, oak, elm, macrocarpa, chestnut, eastern dogwood, and walnut. Approximately half of the nominations are for native trees. In several instances, a mix of native and exotic species on a property has been nominated.

City Development Manager Dr Anna Johnson says, “People value well-established trees in their gardens that contribute visually, attract birds and sometimes have local historical significance, having been planted as part of an original estate.

“A totara tree nominated on Portobello Road is believed to have been where boats were tied up to transfer passengers and supplies as they travelled from Port Chalmers to Dunedin.”

Having a tree listed on the Significant Tree Schedule does not mean that the tree cannot be touched, rather that when doing normal maintenance on the tree, the property owner applies for a free resource consent that ensures the maintenance is professional and beneficial for the health of the tree. Grants towards the costs of maintenance are also available from the DCC.

There have been six groups of trees and several individual trees nominated which are on properties that are not owned by the nominator. In these cases, the DCC will contact the owners to determine their view on the nomination.

Following the nomination period, each tree will be evaluated against criteria relating to the condition of the tree, its amenity characteristics and any other important values it has (including stature, and historic or scientific value), as well as considering other aspects such as age, height, function and occurrence of the species, and any negative factors.

If the tree meets the criteria, it will be included in the draft Schedule of Significant Trees which will be notified to the public with the rest of the draft second generation District Plan for public submissions.

All enquiries should be addressed to Landscape Architect by phoning 477 4000 or emailing planning@dcc.govt.nz

Nomination forms are available from www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp/io/trees or the DCC’s Customer Services Centre. Nominations should be posted to: Attention: Landscape Architect, City Planning, Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045, Moray Place, Dunedin 9058.

Contact City Development Manager on 477 4000.

DCC Link

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

‘Neighbourhood revival starts with a new public library’

Tweet:

@five15design @koFliss @IBA52 @10PARK http://is.gd/evTVH good wee article by @gelatobaby #SouthDunedinPrompts http://www.fastcodesign.com is a must read

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Thanks to Paul Le Comte @five15design for the reference lead via Twitter

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

Perforated orange metal cube, Sweden

### dezeen.com April 8th, 2010 at 12:56 am
Moderna Museet Malmö by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter
By Rose Etherington
Stockholm studio Tham & Videgård Arkitekter have completed a museum in Malmö, Sweden, adding an extention clad in perforated orange metal. Called Moderna Museet Malmö, the project involved renovating the existing building and adding a new entrance hall, cafe and upper gallery.

The following information is from the architects:

A starting point was that a new art museum, a public and cultural building, represents a rare opportunity to create a new node within the city, the urban balance is changed and the neighborhood develops.

In Malmö, in the south of Sweden, there was also the possibility to, starting from the industrial architecture of the former Electricity plant dating from the year 1900, create a new art museum with an informal and experimental character that would complement the main museum in Stockholm.

The greatest challenge posed by the project, (in addition to the demanding eighteen-month time limit from sketch-design to inauguration), was the need to adapt the existing industrial brick building to current climatic and security requirements to comply with the highest international standards for art exhibition spaces.
Read more + Images

Related Posts:
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

Post by Elizabeth Kerr