rough sheds, sydney london

Tinshed by Raffaello Rosselli
Amy Frearson | 21 June 2013 ● Dezeen
Australian architect Raffaello Rosselli has repurposed a corroding tin shed in Sydney to create a small office and studio apartment. Rather than replace the crumbling structure, Raffaello Rosselli chose to retain the rusty corrugated cladding of the two-storey building so that from the outside it looks mostly unchanged. The project embraces that it will continue to change with time through rust, decay and repair.

“The humble tin shed is an iconic Australian structure,” he explains. “As the only remaining shed in the area it is a unique reminder of the suburb’s industrial past.”

The architect began by taking the building apart and replacing its old skeleton with a modern timber frame. He then reattached the cladding over three facades, allowing room for three new windows. The frames of the windows are made from sheets of Corten steel that display the same orange tones as the retained facade.

“The materials have been left raw and honest, in the spirit of its industrial economy,” adds Rosselli. In contrast with the exterior, the inside of the building has a clean finish with white walls and plywood floors in both the ground-floor living space and the first-floor office.
Read more + Images

*Photography by Mark Syke, apart from where otherwise indicated.

****

Collage House, London

Dezeen Published on Feb 13, 2017
Movie explores Jonathan Tuckey’s home in a 19th-century workshop 14 years on
Filmmaker Tapio Snellman has documented the ageing process of architect Jonathan Tuckey’s home, 14 years after he overhauled a 19th-century London workshop to create it. The architect, who is the founder of London-based firm Jonathan Tuckey Design, renovated and extended the steel fabricator’s workshop in 2002 to create a unique home for his family and their dog. He left the bare brick walls tarnished with black marks and chose “simple and everyday” materials to rejuvenate the character of the building, but also because they would weather well. Snellman, who shot Collage House in 2016, captures the ageing of these materials – including nicks and scratches on a series metal fixture and doors by splitting the screen into four – a trick he repeats throughout his film. “The split-screen sequences talk about the occupants and about the way architecture is integrated seamlessly with family life and personal expression,” Snellman told Dezeen. “The four simultaneous views create one strong spatial impression without any single image dominating the effect,” he told Dezeen. Both moving and fixed larch plywood panels clad the exterior, while beach plywood sheeting used as a floor lining inside the house, along with a concrete covering. Douglas fir stud work was planed and left exposed to partition spaces. This enables zones of activity to be defined, while also maintaining openness throughout.

Movie explores Jonathan Tuckey’s home in a former London steel workshop
Eleanor Gibson | 13 February 2017 ● Dezeen
This photography taken by James Brittain when the project completed in the early 2000s shows how Tuckey overhauled the industrial building by partially demolishing walls to create a central courtyard. “Plywood has weathered beautifully on both the interior and exterior and the scuff marks of 15 years use now tell the personal story of the family,” Tuckey told Dezeen. “The concrete floors have patinated and subsequently become more beautiful,” he continued. “The exposed brick was already there but continued to age gracefully as it was used to hang pictures and the kids used it to draw on it.” A space that forms a central part of Snellman’s film is the open-plan kitchen-cum-dining room, which occupies the former workshop. Here, he captures diagonal patterns of light that floods in through the long skylight between the original wooden bowstring beams restored by Tuckey. Snellman contrasts colour footage with black and white in the film, as well as tracking members of the family through the house. “The very controlled track shots try to eliminate the viewers awareness of the presence of the camera, as if the space would be seen at its most intimate, when no-one is present,” the filmmaker told Dezeen.

Ground floor plan [click to enlarge]

First floor plan

When renovating the building, Tuckey’s aim was to maintain as many of the building’s existing features as possible, while also creating plenty of playful spaces that catered to his then-young children. He divided the long and narrow building, which widens at the southern end, into three parts. He also demolished one of the existing buildings to create a courtyard and a small pond. The entrance hall and living area occupy the northern end with a mezzanine above, while the kitchen-cum-dining room occupies the central space. A walkway links these spaces to the two-storey structure added to the southern side, which houses the bedrooms and a bathroom. Since the original renovation, Tuckey has reconfigured the arrangement of the bedrooms, as his now teenage daughters needed more space. The children’s bedrooms have moved upstairs from the downstairs, while the single room used by the parents was divided into two interconnected rooms. A pair of hatches in the bedrooms open to the rooftop terrance, which was also only recently completed by the designer.
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Vogel Street Party 2016 #randoms

On Saturday, the Vogel Street Party hit the streets of the Warehouse Precinct. Now in its third year, the party continues the celebration of Dunedin’s successes by highlighting CONNECTIONS — celebrating the links that bring our Dunedin communities together with the rest of the world, as well as each other. Our gigatown status means we can showcase the creative arts, fashion, music, drama, interactive activities, innovation and development across the city.

Sat, 8 Oct 2016
ODT: Thousands flock to Vogel St Party
A crowd of more than 15,000 took in the sights of Dunedin’s heritage gem during the Vogel St Party today. Vogel St Party Charitable Trust chairman Brendan Christie said the party was “great”.

—

Post and still images by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Vogel Street Party 2016 #Dunedin

Innov8HQ Vogel Street Party 2016

October 8 2016 will see the Vogel Street Party hit the streets of the Warehouse Precinct once again. Now in its third year and growing each occasion, this year will continue the celebration of Dunedin’s successes.

The theme for this year is CONNECTIONS, celebrating the links that bring our Dunedin communities together with the rest of the world, as well as each other. It will continue to highlight Dunedin’s expanding gigatown status, showcase the creative art, fashion, music, drama, interactive activities, innovation, development and growth across the city. This once again aims to nurture a sense of pride, identity and belonging in our amazing city. Expect to see the unknown and known, the hidden and shown, the weird and the wonderful take to the streets.

Open Buildings
Performances
Installations
Fun Things To Do
Music Lineup

█ Events Programme at http://www.vogelstparty.nz/

█ Programme Download

Facebook: vogelstreetparty
https://www.facebook.com/events/1758070184481040/

Presented by Dunedin City Council in association with Vogel Street Party Charitable Trust (VSP) and Party Partners

—

P A R T Y ● 2 0 1 4

Dunedin NZ Published on Nov 9, 2014
Vogel Street Party | Insiders Dunedin
On Saturday 18 October, Dunedin celebrated the creative energy that has being channelled into the Vogel Street neighbourhood. Once a thriving hub of Dunedin’s commercial and industrial growth, new life is being breathed into these streets and buildings to awaken some of the grandeur of their former glory. It’s all part of the Warehouse Precinct Revitalisation Plan.

P A R T Y ● 2 0 1 5

Vogel Street Party Dunedin Published on May 6, 2016
Vogel Street Party 2015 Literature & Light – a snapshot of highlights
A snapshot from just a few of the many events at the Vogel Street Party 2015, Dunedin, New Zealand on 10 October.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

WHO says ‘heritage rules are too restrictive’ —What’s their agenda in the Heritage City

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS

St Joseph’s and the Dominican Priory, Smith St [cardcow.com]

‘A new roof for Dunedin’s Dominican Priory, considered one of New Zealand’s most important and at-risk historic buildings, is a big step closer following a $100,000 grant. [The] Dunedin Heritage Fund had committed the money from its 2016-17 budget. The 139-year old priory was built to house the city’s Dominican nuns and provide teaching space for girls. Despite its vast scale and elaborate construction – its floating concrete staircase and double-glazed music room were cutting edge designs in their day – the building received little maintenance over its working life.’ –Gerald Scanlan, Catholic Diocese of Dunedin (ODT)

19.2.16 ODT: Boost for restoration of priory (+ video)
12.5.16 ODT: DCC commits $100,000 to priory restoration
27.6.16 ODT: Priory future gets clean slate

*The Dunedin Heritage Fund is administered by representatives of Dunedin City Council and Heritage New Zealand.

****

MORE GOOD NEWS

Dunedin Prison “big-picture project” [dunedinprisontrust.co.nz]

‘The Dunedin Prison Trust has raised about $500,000 to start the first stage of its development programme to return the [old prison] building to its original appearance. […] Last year, the trust lodged a planning application with the Dunedin City Council detailing about $250,000 of restorative work which would return the prison’s exterior to its original 1896 condition. The application included work on the building’s roof and walls, as well as seismic strengthening, work expected to cost another $250,000.’ (ODT)

24.8.16 ODT: Restoration begins on historic prison
2.9.16 ODT: Captive audience for prison project
17.9.16 ODT: Old prison roof being restored

****

GOOD NEWS CONTINUES

Dunedin Courthouse [panoramio.com]

‘Refurbishing and strengthening Dunedin’s historic courthouse is expected to cost more than $18 million, according to a building consent approved by the Dunedin City Council. The consent includes detailed designs that council building services manager Neil McLeod says involve some of the most extensive earthquake-strengthening ever undertaken in the city. The plans also show the extent to which the Ministry of Justice plans on returning the building to its former glory.’ (ODT)

10.9.16 ODT: $18m to be spent on court upgrade
29.9.16 ODT: Courthouse restoration set to begin
30.9.16 ODT: Dunedin firm wins courthouse contract

****

BAD NEWS

‘The Physio Pool is one of the largest warm water swimming pools in New Zealand and Dunedin’s only therapeutic swimming pool. The temperature is always kept around 35 degrees. We feature wheelchair accessibility, hoist and private changing rooms. The benefits of warm water exercise are tremendous and have an extremely positive impact on the quality of life for all ages. We are open to the public and offer a non-threatening environment for swimming, aqua jogging, individual exercise programmes, or warm water relaxation.’ —physiopool.org.nz

### ODT Online Sat, 1 Oct 2016
Pool heritage status opposed
By Vaughan Elder
The Southern District Health Board is fighting a proposal to classify  Dunedin’s already endangered physio pool site as a heritage building, saying it may have to be demolished as part of a hospital redevelopment. This comes as the Property Council and the University of Otago are set to argue at next week’s  Second Generation Dunedin City District Plan (2GP) hearings that proposed rules aimed at protecting the city’s heritage buildings are too restrictive.
Read more

█ Heritage New Zealand | Otago Therapeutic Pool List No. 7581
Historical information and Heritage significance at http://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details?id=7581

****

FURTHER BAD NEWS AND PILLOCKS

Criticism of the [second generation district] plan comes after praise in recent times for the council for its proactive approach towards saving the city’s heritage buildings.

### ODT Online Sun, 2 Oct 2016
Heritage rules deemed too restrictive
By Vaughan Elder
The Dunedin City Council’s proposed new heritage rules are too restrictive and property owners should have more freedom to demolish uneconomic heritage buildings, the Property Council says. This comes as Second Generation Dunedin City District Plan (2GP) commissioners are set to hear arguments next week about a new set of rules aimed at protecting the city’s heritage buildings. The University of Otago is also among submitters to have expressed concern about rules,  planner and policy adviser Murray Brass saying they had the potential to  reduce protection by making it more difficult to maintain and use heritage buildings.
A summary on the 2GP website said the changes included addressing the threat of “demolition by neglect” by making it easier to put old buildings to new uses and requiring resource consent for most changes to identified heritage buildings and “character-contributing” buildings within defined heritage precincts.
The new rules have prompted a strong response.
Read more

****

FOR HISTORIC HERITAGE

Second Generation District Plan (2GP) – Heritage
Read all Heritage topic documents including reports, evidence and submissions to date at: https://2gp.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp/hearings-schedule/heritage.html

Documents
● Notice of Hearing
● Agenda
● Speaking Schedule – updated 29 September

Council Evidence
● Section 42A report
● Section 42A report addendum

DCC expert evidence
● Statement of evidence of Glen Hazelton [Policy planner – heritage]

█ Download: s42a Heritage Report with appendices (PDF, 5 MB)

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Carisbrook turnstile building, Neville St | HNZ Category 1 historic place
[filmcameraworkshop.com]

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.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Building Owner | Architect

Dunedin Courthouse —Cabinet backs #restoration for courts use

A considerable weight lifted….

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 17:44, December 7 2015
Dunedin’s historic courthouse to be saved
Dunedin’s historic courthouse will be strengthened and restored at a cost of $15 million […] Strengthening work was expected to take two years, and the city’s temporary court in High St would continue to be used in the interim. It was hoped a main contractor would be appointed later in 2016, following a tendering process, [Ms] Adams said.
Read more

****

“The Dunedin courthouse is one of New Zealand’s most notable historic buildings and Cabinet’s decision reflects its significance, both as a part of the city’s rich cultural heritage and its importance to the region’s legal fraternity.” –Minister Amy Adams

### ODT Online Mon, 7 Dec 2015
Full restoration for Dunedin courthouse
By Craig Borley
Dunedin’s historic courthouse will be saved, strengthened, restored and have all its court service returned to it. The decision was made in today’s final Cabinet meeting of the year. Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams announced the outcome just after 4pm. […] The decision means a “more than $15 million” overhaul of the Stuart St complex, bringing it up to between 60% and 70% of new building standard, as well as “provision the buildings to operate as modern court facilities”.
Read more

—

Full Statement —Minister

Amy Adams

7 December, 2015

Dunedin’s historic courthouse to be restored

Courts Minister Amy Adams today announced that Cabinet has agreed to the strengthening and restoration of Dunedin’s historic courthouse.

“The Dunedin courthouse is one of New Zealand’s most notable historic buildings and Cabinet’s decision reflects its significance, both as a part of the city’s rich cultural heritage and its importance to the region’s legal fraternity,” Ms Adams says.

“From the beginning, I’ve maintained that it’s been my intention, expectation and desire to see court services returned to Dunedin’s historic courthouse and this decision delivers on that commitment.”

The project includes earthquake strengthening and restoration, as well as the cost of provision the buildings to operate as modern court facilities. The project is estimated to cost more than $15 million and this will include seeing the building strengthened to between 60 and 70 per cent of the National Building Standard.

“The strengthening project is anticipated to take two years to complete and the Ministry of Justice will continue to deliver quality services from the temporary court in High St in the interim,” Ms Adams says.

Ministry of Justice will call for tenders in the first half of next year and it was hoped a main contractor would be appointed later in 2016.

Ms Adams says the costings in the business case had been comprehensively investigated and peer reviewed by a number of independent specialist engineers, and costed by quantity surveyors, before being subjected to a robust review by The Treasury.

“The investigations showed that as a category one heritage building, strengthening the court house is a complex project and requires a significant capital investment.

“I acknowledge the deep support locals have shown for the historic courthouse throughout this process.”

The facility in Stuart St was closed in 2011 after engineers found that parts of the building fell well short of the minimum 34 percent rating required under the National Building Standard. A temporary facility has been established at High St to ensure court services could continue to be delivered to the people of Dunedin and Otago in the interim.

With Cabinet’s decision, managing the restoration process now becomes an operational matter for the Ministry of Justice.

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/dunedin%E2%80%99s-historic-courthouse-be-restored

Related Posts and Comments:
22.9.125 Dunedin Law Courts | ODT editorial
7.9.15 Public petition to save Courthouse for courts use
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (top) Justice, Dunedin Law Courts (detail) by Elizabeth Kerr; radionz.co.nz – Amy Adams, tweaked by whatifdunedin

SAVE Sammy’s (former His Majesty’s Theatre & Agricultural Hall)

Agricultural Hall. Burton Brothers studio. Te Papa Archives [C.012324]

His Majesty’s Theatre, Dunedin [render via realestate.co.nz]

Sammy’s portico to Crawford Street [dunedinmusic.com]

REAL ESTATE BLURB | Built 1896 Agricultural Hall 1902 Renamed His Majesty’s Theatre 1983 Sammy’s Cabaret & Restaurant
Time for someone else to take over the reins – with fresh enthusiasm and ideas for this iconic Dunedin property. Located in the heart of Dunedin’s rapidly developing ‘Warehouse Precinct’ it lends itself to a multitude of uses. Building 1500m with frontages to both Crawford & Vogel Streets. http://www.remax.co.nz/10395003

—

█ SOUL DESTROYING LACK OF DISTRICT PLAN SCHEDULING
‘An offer pending consent for Sammy’s would more likely mean plans to considerably alter or demolish the building.’ –Glen Hazelton, DCC Policy Planner (Heritage)

█ SHINING LIGHTS
“It’s already protected under our Act, that’s the main thing.” –Matthew Schmidt, HNZ Otago Southland regional archaeologist

### ODT Online Wed, 18 Nov 2015
Uncertain future for venue
By Craig Borley
Demolition could be an option for Sammy’s, one of Dunedin’s most loved live music venues and one of the warehouse precinct’s largest buildings. On the market for “a few months” and with a list price of $240,000, the 1896 building had attracted attention from several potential buyers, owner Sam Chin said yesterday. Interest from one of those potential buyers was contingent on gaining a resource consent, Mr Chin said. He could not name the potential buyer and did not know what that resource consent was for.
Read more

BIG QUEST TO FIND THE RIGHT NEW OWNER – MEANWHILE, CITIZEN DUTY TO PROTECT THE BUILDING AS AN ICONIC PRESENCE IN VOGEL STREET HERITAGE PRECINCT AND WAREHOUSE PRECINCT

—

Sammy’s Dunedin NZ 7.9.12 [Sola Rosa via staticflickr.com]

Sammy’s (2011) [alizarinlizard.blogspot.co.nz]

“….we got back to Dunedin by lunchtime and unloaded the P.A gear into Sammys then went home an slept the rest of the day till we had to come back an sound check..
but yeah, played later on that night and had a blast. Sammys looks absolutely amazing now days if you havent seen it already.”
–Alizarin Lizard, Dunedin psych-pop quartet

But what looked good at night under lights in 2011 was profoundly “trouble” due to lack of diligent building repair and maintenance, or any appreciation for fire safety…. and more words from Mr Chin….

[via comments at What if? Dunedin]

Elizabeth
June 1, 2011 at 2:58 am
### D Scene 1-6-11
Future of Sammy’s uncertain after eviction (page 3)
The future of notable Dunedin music venue Sammy’s is uncertain, after the eviction earlier this week of the operators of the Crawford St business. Building owner Sam Chin told D Scene yesterday that he had moved into the venue on Monday night and changed the locks. “The venue is closed for now and we’re just cleaning things up.”
{continues} #bookmark [search required]

—

Elizabeth
June 2, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Tweet:
(2 June, 8:32pm) @DunedinTV Sammy’s closed down due to being in a complete state of disrepair http://tinyurl.com/43dprnf #channel9 #dunedin #tv #nz

—

Elizabeth
June 23, 2011 at 2:33 pm
### ODT Online Thu, 23 Jun 2011
Nightclub owner angry over damage at venue
By Nigel Benson
Sammy’s owner Sam Chin has experienced some wild nights at the nightclub over the years. But he was not prepared for the sight which greeted him when he changed the locks on the building three weeks ago, after not receiving rent from the lessee since November. […] The venue opened in 1896 as the Agricultural Hall, before being renamed His Majesty’s Theatre, and has a long history as a hall, theatre and live music venue. Mr Chin said he wanted to maintain that tradition and reopen it for concerts next month.
Read more

—

Elizabeth
August 7, 2011 at 11:36 am
### ODT Online Sun, 7 Aug 2011
Sammy’s set to reopen this month
By Nigel Benson
Sammy’s will reopen this month after being closed in June for refurbishment. Owner Sam Chin shut the venue after the building fell into disrepair. He said yesterday demand had led to him taking bookings again. […] “We had a lot of inquiries about when we were going to reopen. It’s such a good space with plenty of room for 500-plus people. We’ve already got three or four university graduation dinners booked in over the next couple of weeks.”
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Heritage Fund: Latest funding round | recipient building projects

### ODT Online Tue, 20 Oct 2015
Heritage fund contributes to renaissance
By Craig Borley
Another collection of old Dunedin buildings is to get a council cash injection as the city continues its renaissance. The 10 buildings received a combined $113,500 at this month’s meeting of the Dunedin City Council’s heritage fund committee.
Read more + Images

The grants
• Kelsey Yaralla Kindergarten, Trent Ave, North Dunedin: $5000 (earthquake strengthening)
• Golden Leaf International, 16 Manse St: $10,000 (earthquake strengthening)
• Empire Hotel, 395 Princes St: $5500 (earthquake strengthening report, prior to facade restoration)
• Gresham Hotel, 42 Queens Gardens: $20,000 (exterior restoration)
• Former stables, 218 Crawford St – $20,000 (reuse)
• Stafford House, 2 Stafford St – $5000 (fire upgrade)
• Loan and Mercantile Building, 33 Thomas Burns St – $20,000 (facade cleaning and restoration)
• Married quarters, Quarantine Island: $3000 (strengthening)
• Glenfalloch: $5000 (conservation plan update)
• Carpet Court, 115 Cumberland St: $20,000 (reuse)

TOTAL: $113,500

DUNEDIN HERITAGE FUND

The Dunedin City Council and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) jointly administer the Dunedin Heritage Fund to support the protection and conservation of Dunedin’s built heritage, as well as the continued use and appreciation of these places by the community.

The Heritage Fund Committee has the ability to make grants or loans to the owner or occupier of any historic place within Dunedin for the purpose of assisting that owner or occupier to manage, maintain or preserve that historic place.

The Dunedin Heritage Fund can provide incentive funding for a wide range of works. These include:

i. Essential repairs, stabilisation or core structural works.
ii. Restoration projects.
iii. Upgrades to code/regulation standards to enable contemporary use of heritage places, eg fire, earthquake, access provisions.
iv. Specific “like with like” material replacement/maintenance projects that protect the integrity of heritage buildings (eg slate or timber shingle roofing; copper gutters/downpipes; wooden joinery; stained glass; stonework; pressed tin ceilings; etc)
v. Preparation of heritage conservation plans.
vi. Emergency or protective works to protect heritage fabric.

Note: Routine maintenance will not normally be a high priority for assistance.

—

█ For more information and guidelines for how to apply, go to:
Dunedin Heritage Funding Application (DCC website)

Contacts:
Glen Hazelton, DCC Policy Planner (Heritage) 03 477 4000
Jonathan Howard, HNZ Otago Southland Area Manager 03 477 9871

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Public petition to save Courthouse for courts use

### ODT Online Mon, 7 Sep 2015
Using online petition to save courthouse
By Eileen Goodwin
An online petition is the latest strategy of the Dunedin City Council backed group trying to pressure the Government to restore the historic Dunedin courthouse. Set up by Dunedin city councillor Aaron Hawkins, a member of the Dunedin Courthouse Task Force, it had more than 220 signatures last night. The courthouse is in limbo as it lies vacant with no plan yet for its future.
Read more

—

█ Website:
http://www.saveourcourthouse.nz

█ Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/SaveOurCourthouse

█ Petition to Justice Minister Amy Adams:
http://bit.ly/1FlZIWy (via Avaaz platform)

SAVE OUR COURTHOUSE

Dunedin’s Courthouse building has been the seat of justice in Dunedin since it was built in 1901. Following extensive renovation and restoration by the government in 2002, in 2011 it was declared an earthquake risk, and progressively mothballed.
There have been questions raised by reports detailing the further work that needs doing, and what it will cost, that remain unanswered. In the meantime, $6.8m has been spent fitting out temporary courts in an office building on High St, at an ongoing cost of $600,000 a year.
We’re calling on Justice Minister Amy Adams – and other Ministers who have a responsibility to the court – to commit to a timeframe for the return of the courts to their home on Lower Stuart St.
Read more

Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister

A courthouse needed to show everyone involved in a court sitting had their place. Dunedin’s historic courthouse did that. –Professor Mark Henaghan

Justice Minister Amy Adams said in a statement last night her desire, intention and expectation was “that we want to see the historic courthouse building strengthened and returned to, and that hasn’t changed”.

### ODT Online Sat, 11 Jul 2015
Law alumni plead courthouse case [front page news]
By Craig Borley
Otago law alumni have spoken out from around the world, calling on the Government to do what needs to be done to save and return full court services to Dunedin’s historic courthouse. The calls came after University of Otago faculty of law dean Prof Mark Henaghan wrote to the law school’s alumni, detailing the building’s plight.
Read more

****

### ODT Online Sat, 11 Jul 2015
Courthouse call-out false alarm
By Damian George
Police and fire service were called to a false alarm at the Dunedin District Court building this morning after a sprinkler was tampered with. Senior sergeant Steve Larking, of Dunedin, said someone inside the High St building damaged the sprinkler, causing it to activate.
Read more

—

Related Posts and Comments:
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Dunedin Law Courts, east facade (detail) –Kerr
May 13, 2015

Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts

Owner of Lund South, Russell Lund, is suspicious of the Ministry of Justice’s intention for Dunedin’s historic courthouse. (ODT)

The Opinion was published at Otago Daily Times today with the headline ‘Budgets blind to community benefit’ –here unabridged.

—

Your editorial last weekend (ODT 9.5.15) regarding the fate of the courthouse and your suspicion of the Ministry of Justice’s true agenda is sadly, prescient.

It is extremely unlikely that there is any will by the ministry at all to strengthen and retain the courthouse.

Lund South completed the restoration of the main courthouse in 2002. During that project we were party to candid discussions about the history of the courthouse restoration project and how it very nearly did not happen. The attitude of the courts even back then was that they weren’t getting any extra funding for restoration of the courthouse. They viewed the historical and heritage significance of the building as someone else’s problem. The courts had negotiations with the owners of an office building in the CBD, and very nearly signed a lease to put the courts there. It was only due to the hectoring of certain persons in the design team and a sympathetic official within the department that saw the project proceed, albeit very reluctantly, and with ongoing demands throughout the project to cut costs.

Of course the pressures on all government spending in the current Joycean environment are far worse than those benign days of the early 2000s. About $11 million was spent on renovation and extension of the courthouse in a project completed in 2003.

The department has now spent or will spend more than $6 million on a temporary facility, not the $3 million you noted in your editorial. That suggests that this is not a temporary fix.

We can be sure about this because we were also involved in the construction of the temporary courts in the old BNZ building in 2001.

That temporary facility that served very satisfactorily (apart from an issue with insufficient acoustic separation in the jury room that was easily fixed) and cost about 10%, just one 10th of the current expenditure on the new temporary facility.

The strategy employed by the department is quite obvious. They have commissioned a national engineering consultancy that is not known for creative or economic solutions. The firm is also well known for being unreceptive to alternative design proposals, their attitude being, “this is our project, we are going to do it our way”. Another government department had to threaten to sack them from a $30 million project in 2013 when they refused to consider an alternative structural proposal that ended up saving the department several million dollars.

Local engineers familiar with the building are convinced the scope and the cost of the work required would be dramatically less than the current proposal.

We have seen this scenario play out in the case of the Oamaru courthouse, where an alternative proposal at an estimated cost of one-third of the courts engineers’ estimate still was not enough to convince the courts to stay in the building.

Dunedin residents might well ask why this is? Surely, if the building can be strengthened at reasonable cost it is worth doing?

The answer is that this department, like others, simply sees old buildings as a money pit for ongoing repairs and maintenance and its budgets are blind to the wider benefits to the community of retaining heritage.

Russell Lund
Macandrew Bay

ODT Link

—

Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Railway Station & Dunedin Law Courts –Kerr
May 13, 2015

Justice at Dunedin

Dunedin Law Courts 13 May 2015

—

Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

—

Photograph by Elizabeth Kerr

Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

In March last year, Justice said it was about to announce the successful contractor for the project, but that did not happen. (ODT)

### ODT Online Sat, 2 May 2015
$600k spent on courthouse, no work done
By Eileen Goodwin
The Ministry of Justice is staying tight-lipped about a change of plan over earthquake-strengthening the Stuart St courthouse in Dunedin, after spending more than $600,000 on its design. This week, the ministry announced the indefinite closure of the historic courthouse, which has been partially closed since December 2011. Court staff and most hearings will be based in the temporary courthouse in High St from May 18.
Read more

****

Ministry press release says all court staff will move to the Temporary Courthouse in High St, and the Stuart St court will be closed from May 18 until further notice.

### ODT Online Fri, 1 May 2015
Temporary court too small: lawyer
By Eileen Goodwin
The Stuart St court building in Dunedin will be closed until further notice, and a Dunedin lawyer [Anne Stevens] has blasted the Ministry of Justice for years of inaction over planned earthquake strengthening. […] The Stuart St building partially closed in December 2011, but continued to house the Dunedin District Court and a range of court services and staff. The ministry has spent more than $6 million fitting out the High St building as a temporary facility, and it has been used for jury trials and other proceedings for some time.
Read more

—

BACK STORIES – DUNEDIN COURTHOUSE

### ODT Online Fri, 10 May 2013
Dunedin court upgrade approved
By Rosie Manins
The Ministry of Justice will spend millions upgrading Dunedin’s historic courthouse, much to the delight of the city’s legal fraternity. “We are delighted,” New Zealand Law Society Otago branch president Associate Prof Donna Buckingham said yesterday. “This building represents the roots of the legal profession in Dunedin and many lawyers have spoken to me in the past 18 months about their strong attachment to it,” she said.
Read more

—

### beehive.govt.nz 31 January, 2003
Speeches: Margaret Wilson
Opening of refurbished Dunedin Courthouse
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa […] It is my privilege today to formally open this wonderfully refurbished building, which has been so important to the development of the law in New Zealand, and is the focus of so much interest for the people of Dunedin.
History of building
When Acting Premier Sir Joseph Ward opened this Courthouse just over 100 years ago, in June 1902, he described it as “the finest in the colony”. The Courthouse was, and remains, a showcase for local stone and the skill of its builders. However, the statue of Justice – which is directly above me – was imported from Italy. As Mayor Turner pointed out, the statue does not have a blindfold – the usual way the impartial processes of justice are portrayed. Although I am attracted to the Mayor’s explanation, I like to think of this omission as symbolising the farsighted vision of the pioneering women who took up the law in this city and set the stage for those of us who have followed.
While it has always been hailed as one of finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in New Zealand, this building became woefully inadequate as the century progressed. There was far too little space, the lighting, ventilation and heating systems were antiquated, and there were doubts about the safety of the structure in an earthquake. Then seven years ago, as we have heard, the sword fell from the presiding statue of Justice – perhaps she was trying to tell us something!
Courts rebuilding programme
The renovation and extension of this historic courthouse represents a significant capital investment – about $11 million in total. The work is part of a major building programme being undertaken by the Department for Courts. It is an investment that – as anyone involved will tell you, not just here but around the country – has been a long time coming.
Read more

—

Dunedin Law Courts
1 Stuart Street, Dunedin

Heritage New Zealand | Category I Historic Place – List No: 4374

Notable Features:
Its size and grandeur as a gothic building and its unmodified state.

Architect: John Campbell, Government Architect
Although John Campbell (1857-1942) designed the Dunedin Law Courts (1899-1902) in the Gothic style with a Scottish Baronial inflection, he established Edwardian Baroque as the government style for police stations, courthouses and post offices throughout New Zealand.
John Campbell served his articles under John Gordon (c1835-1912) in Glasgow. He arrived in Dunedin in 1882 and after a brief period as a draughtsman with Mason and Wales joined the Dunedin branch of the Public Works Department in 1883. His first known work, an unbuilt design for the Dunedin Railway Station, reveals an early interest in Baroque architecture. In November 1888 Campbell was transferred to Wellington where in 1889 he took up the position of draughtsman in charge of the Public Buildings Division of the Public Works Department. He remained in charge of the design of government buildings throughout New Zealand until his retirement in 1922, becoming in 1909 the first person to hold the position of Government Architect. Government architecture designed under his aegis evidences a change in style from Queen Anne to Edwardian Baroque. His best-known Queen Anne design is the Dunedin Police Station (1895-8), modelled on Richard Norman Shaw’s New Scotland Yard (1887-90). Among his most exuberant Edwardian Baroque buildings is the Public Trust Office, Wellington (1905-09). […] In 1911 Campbell won the nation-wide architectural competition for the design of Parliament Buildings, Wellington. Although only partially completed, Parliament House is the crowning achievement of Campbell’s career.

Construction Details:
The walls are built of Port Chalmers breccia with Oamaru stone window framing, parapets and pinnacles. (It is somewhat unusual for a Dunedin building to be completed in breccia rather than Leith Valley andesite with breccia foundations.) The roof is slate. The marble figure of Justice over the Stuart Street door in Italian and is not blindfolded. The High Court is lavishly gothic, with Rimu emblems and mouldings and with fine cast iron work fronting the jury and press seats and the witness stand. The major doors have gothic arches and the main staircase has a handsome cast iron balustrade. The Law Library still retains its fine built-in bookcases and heavy oak furniture.
An earlier law courts building existed to the east of the present site which was originally occupied by the Dunedin gaol. Later the courts moved to the Provincial Council building in the Exchange. Probably it was the availability of this latter building which delayed the erecting of the purpose-built home for the courts to as late as 1900.

Architectural Significance:
This is a late major gothic building for Dunedin. Only the University buildings around the archway are later in this category of building. It is reasonably pure in its styling, lacking the hybridisation with the classical apparent in some other buildings of this period.

Townscape/Landmark Significance:
The Law Courts form part of the impressive Castle Street precinct which includes the Florentine Railway Station across the road, the Central Police Station and the Otago Early Settlers building.

—

Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: Dunedin Courthouse – Justice (2012) via Heritage New Zealand (Photo: Phil Braithwaite); Dunedin Courthouse (2007) via Heritage New Zealand (Photo: Joan Colley)

Warehouse conversions | Apartment interiors #materials #light #colour

Warehouse Converted to Modern Loft
This 8,600 square-foot loft was completed and renovated by developers and designers of urban lofts Benito Escat and Alberto Rovira; the designers teamed up with interior design studio Minim for this ambitious project. What was once stables (built in 1930), a bomb shelter and then a print shop is now a modern loft located in Barcelona, Spain. The original brick walls are exposed, and the high concrete ceilings make the space truly magnificent. Glass lights set in the floor reveal the bearing structure and provide light to the level below.

More photos at http://www.iintrepidinc.com/lifeinstyle/2011/9/29/a-rustic-modern-loft-warehouse-conversion-barcelona.html

—

Russian architect Denis Krasikovis created this eclectic apartment in Murmansk, Russia.

More photos at http://www.homeadore.com/2014/12/09/murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov/

—

In 2014, Vertebrae Architecture designed this tiny 330 square feet apartment in Venice, California. Full height hidden storage delineates space and provides visual and acoustic privacy. The minimal material palette minimizes distraction and maximizes the spatial quality of the apartment.

More images at http://www.homeadore.com/2014/12/08/micro-apartment-vertebrae-architecture/

—

Rad Design fully demolished and redesigned the interior of this loft in Toronto, Canada. Custom shelving and displays show off the client’s antique camera collection and books on photography. The client had requested use of reclaimed wood materials and simple, metal elements. A small black platform makes the low bed float slightly above the floor. The bright new kitchen and bathroom add modern touches.

More images at http://www.homeadore.com/2014/11/04/photo-loft-rad-design/

—

Warehouse in San Francisco Converted into Contemporary Loft
This project located in the historic Oriental Warehouse Loft Building in San Francisco’s South Beach neighbourhood, is a complete reconfiguration and renovation of an existing loft apartment. In order to maximize the spatial experience of the loft, traditional notions of domestic privacy were abandoned in favour of open and transparent relationships. Here is more on the renovation process from the architects: “Opaque guardrails at the sleeping mezzanine were replaced with frameless glass guardrails in order to provide a direct visual connection to the living room below. A large over-sized sheet of transparent glass further eliminates privacy in the master bathroom by allowing views into and out of the bathroom to the rest of the loft beyond. In contrast to the existing heavy-timber and rusticated brick structural shell which are left exposed, sleek new interior finishes were replaced throughout including wall and floor finishes, kitchen and bathroom mill work and a new steel cantilever stair that connects the living areas on the ground floor with the sleeping areas on the mezzanine.”

Edmonds + Lee Architects: http://www.edmondslee.com/owl.html

—

Jestico & Whiles, Andel’s Hotel Łódź, Poland, warehouse conversion (completed 2009)
Located in central Łódź, the hotel features a top-floor spa centre and modern interior design. Its spacious and bright rooms come with air conditioning and a flat-screen TV. The hotel houses a luxury spa, the skySPAce, featuring a glass-covered swimming pool with beautiful city views, as well as various saunas, a massage parlour and a fitness centre. The hotel is a beautiful building with a post-industrial character. You can see an old and historical place (loads of old factory elements) and on the other hand the building is really modern. The Andel’s Hotel Łódź is housed in the cultural and commercial complex of Manufaktura, just 1.5 km from the famous Piotrkowska Street. The hotel was recently awarded the best in Poland in a European ranking.

More photos and their sources via Google Images

—

Lant Street warehouse conversion, Southwark, London
Dow Jones Architects
An ongoing process of urban regeneration has seen the transformation of nineteenth century light industrial buildings into residential quarters for the liberal middle classes. In Lant Street, a five-level former brick warehouse is a case in point; over the past few years it has been gradually transformed into residential property with an art gallery below street level. Dow Jones Architects was asked to convert the top two floors and the roof, with spectacular views of the city, into a separate apartment. The brief was unequivocal; the client asked for ‘London in my living room’.
Giving views of the City skyline, only previously available from the rooftop, required the placement of the living room on the uppermost floor, with the sleeping and bathroom area on lowest level and the kitchen and dining in the middle. Preserving the stairways in their original locations allowed a relatively unpartitioned organisation of the individual floors, with just two oversized, automatically operated fire doors unobtrusively concealed in wall linings. Dow Jones’ internal material palette combines the original brick surfaces and rough timber structure with new smooth oak linings with flush camouflaged doors. The in-situ concrete boxes that mark the wet areas – bathroom, shower room, kitchen – read as discrete objects placed atop the existing surfaces.

Read more at http://www.architecturetoday.co.uk/?p=6122

—

Historically Preserved Mansion Gets Eclectic Makeover
A true mansion, originally from 1922, with preserved architecture and full of details that reveal a rare magnificence, is the headquarters of the 22nd Edition of Casa Cor Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With very high ceilings and large windows, the beautiful and famous building has been designed in an eclectic style with over 5,400 square metres of constructed area, divided into 52 environments, with about 80 professionals who have demonstrated that it is possible to renew with style, but without deleting the marks of time. The building was once a Boarding School of Nursing Anna Nery (1926- 1973) and the College Student House (1973-1995). Here, past, present and future coexist im harmony.

Interactive room. Reuse was the watchword for Tiana Meggiolaro and Bia Lynch who set up the room with brick walls left exposed. “Based on the concept of upcycling and demos new function was given to the pallets, wooden structures used in freight transport that became bookshelf and countertop,” says Tiana.

Jewellery. The space of interior designers Mariana Dean, Jason Sartori and Luciana Arnaud pays homage to the fashion designer Coco Chanel and makes reference to her jewellery.

More at http://www.onekindesign.com/tag/preservation/page/5/

—

Related Posts and Comments:
1.1.15 Dezeen: 3 projects #materials
28.12.14 Small apartments —then !! New York by Gehry #2011nuclear
25.12.14 2Modern Blog | Modern Decor + Architecture + Interiors
19.10.14 Dunedin: Randoms from inside warehouse precinct 18.10.14
22.6.14 Vogel Street Heritage Precinct (TH13)
17.4.11 Ricardo Bofill’s cement factory
28.12.10 Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus / Meyer, Scheter & Rockcastle

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Auckland’s Civic Building first skyscraper #Modern

Photographer Patrick Reynolds says the Civic is an important building by an important architect – chief city architect Tibor Donner (1946-1967) – and it appealed enormously as “Hotel Moderne” with its modernist credentials.

### metromag.co.nz June 10, 2014
Urban Design
The Civic Building: Modernist Folly, Architectural Treasure
By Chris Barton
Why we should all be up in arms at the threatened demolition of the Auckland Council Civic Building.
There’s a surprise at the top of the hated Civic Building. From afar, you could guess there was some sort of observation deck, but the central roof-top courtyard open to the sky and to terrific east and west viewing across the cityscape to the harbour is a delight. Shut to the public since the 1970s, the restricted area is looking a little shabby, but one can easily imagine how the space could be brought back to life and, combined with a makeover of the staff cafeteria a level below, could be the tearoom talk of the town. Here might be a rare commodity in Auckland — public space on high — given that most other high places are either off limits, commercialised or privatised.
No 1 Greys Ave, formerly known as the Auckland City Council Administration Building, has plenty of other unique features: the rolled Corbusian corners of the metal-clad plant room, the curvy Le Corbusier-inspired entrance canopy, the mezzanine lobby and the precast terrazzo treads and iron balustrades of the open staircase.
Read more + Photos by Patrick Reynolds

—

### NZ Herald Online 11:51 AM Tuesday Nov 18, 2014
Bid to save NZ’s first skyscraper
By Bernard Orsman – Super City reporter
Plans to save New Zealand’s first skyscraper, the Civic Building on Aotea Square, or demolish it have been outlined to councillors and the media today. Council officers have been investigating options and market interest to refurbish the building, which will be empty by the New Year after serving as the city’s main civic administration building since 1966. The wrecking ball has been hanging over the building since the Auckland Council paid $104 million for the 31-storey ASB Bank Centre in Albert St for its new headquarters. The 100m tower was designed in the 1950s and completed in 1966. It has been criticised as an ugly box, but many architects marvel at its features. Architect Julia Gatley, an authority on modern architecture in New Zealand, has praised it as a beautifully proportioned, slender building that encapsulates modernism. It has no heritage status, but two reports have suggested it warrants a category A listing, and the council’s heritage division says it merits category B status. Heritage New Zealand also wants to see it gain heritage status and saved. The council’s property arm said without major refurbishment and the removal asbestos it would be unsuitable for council or other uses, such as commercial, residential and hotel. Auckland Council Property said it would cost about $78 million for full refurbishment to modern office and code requirements, or $60 million for a residential conversion. Demolition and site reinstatement is estimated at between $11.5 million to $12.5 million.
Read more

Civic Building demolished – revamped Aotea Square with new ‘teletubbie’ commercial buildings | Regional Facilities Auckland

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (from top) heritageetal.blogspot.com – Former Auckland City Council Administration Building, 1 Greys Avenue (1981); metromag.co.nz – Civic Building on Aotea Square by Patrick Reynolds; stuffcrush.blogspot.co.nz – Civic Building, fenestration detail (2011) by Caleb

Dunedin: Randoms from inside warehouse precinct 18.10.14

Photographs taken at the Vogel St. Street Party (public tours) held on Saturday, 18 October. [click to enlarge]

—

Jetty St overbridge with McIndoes, ADI, Jade and Reed’s buildings

View from Stavely Building rooftop across NMA Building to Holcim on Fryatt St

Bond St apartments and mixed use

Former Chief Post Office bronze-framed windows

Stavely Building, cnr Bond and Jetty Sts, apartments with shared atrium

Reed’s Building (former Otago Education Board offices), 75 Crawford St

Street art cnr Princes and Jetty Sts by Pixel Pancho (ITA)

Agricultural Hall and Sammy’s (former His Majesty’s Theatre), Crawford St

Street art, DCC carpark in Water St

Stavely Building parapet decal (side on) – Gresham Hotel relief (woman’s head)

Light fitting, Stavely Building – Chalk it up, DCC carpark Water St

Street furniture outside ADI (former Donald Reid Stores Building), 77 Vogel St

Mural by Phlegm (London), former Rogan McIndoe Building, Vogel St

Former Otago Harbour Board offices (43 Jetty St) seen from Reed’s Building

Former Gresham Hotel, Queens Gardens, cnr Rattray and Cumberland Sts

Street art by Be Free (AU), alley off Police St (behind 104 Bond St)

—

Related Posts and Comments:
15.10.14 Vogel St. Street Party | Saturday 18 Oct 3pm – 11pm
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
1.7.14 Jonathan Howard: ‘Changing Dunedin City: Snapshots from the air’
19.2.11 Reed Building, 75 Crawford Street for demolition?
13.6.10 No temporary cover: historic Stavely Building of Dunedin

—

Images by Elizabeth Kerr

Bell Tea Building has a future!

█ Bell Tea Company – New Zealand’s No. 1 Tea Company http://www.belltea.co.nz/

The factory of New Zealand’s oldest tea company, founded in 1898 by Norman Harper Bell in Dunedin.

Dunedin’s Bell Tea building, on the corner of Hope and Carroll Sts, has been sold. Bayleys commercial, industrial and retail agent Robin Hyndman said there had been “good interest” in the building, more than 20 site visits and four tender offers lodged. (ODT)

### ODT Online Thu, 4 Sep 2014
Developer buys Bell Tea building
By Simon Hartley
Dunedin’s distinctive 90-year-old Bell Tea building has been sold to Dunedin developer Peter Gullen, who says it was a spur-of-the-moment purchase. Mr Gullen, known for building flats and townhouses around the city, was reluctant to go into plans for the building, but said he first “wanted to get it earthquake proof and save the building”.
Read more

ODT 3.7.14 Bell Tea building offered for sale
ODT 11.3.14 Bell Tea to close Dunedin factory

—

Post and images by Elizabeth Kerr

Hotel We LIKE: Distinction Dunedin Hotel at former CPO

Reopening the former Chief Post Office building “marks a significant milestone for the restoration project, with more tenants, a three-level car park building and, eventually, the 120-apartment four-star-plus Distinction Dunedin Hotel, all to follow”. (ODT)

Dunedin Chief Post Office (1930s)

### ODT Online Tue, 25 Mar 2014
Office workers light up CPO
By Chris Morris
The return today of a commercial tenant to Dunedin’s former chief post office building for the first time in more than 15 years marks a significant milestone in the restoration project. About 145 staff from Silver Fern Farms are expected to start work in their new headquarters – occupying the first two floors of the partially-restored building – this morning. It was the first time the building had been home to a permanent tenant since closing its doors in 1997, building owner Geoff Thomson, of Distinction Hotels, said.
Read more

—

Dogged controversy.
Submissions in opposition to the proposed waterfront tower hotel at 41 Wharf Street (LUC 2012-212) make frequent mention of a preference to see the old Chief Post Office restored and in use as a city hotel in The Exchange.
Dull criticism from the anti-heritage brigade has often been cast at the old building’s owner for lack of speed in making the redevelopment happen.
Geoff Thomson, a canny and diligent man, has proceeded with the retrofit of this very large government architect-designed building at the pace he can afford in the up-down market he faces. Geoff Thomson deserves significant praise for his passion and perseverance in seeing the project through as well as attending to quality tenanting and leases.

[history and significance]
█ Heritage New Zealand (HNZ) registration report: List No. 2145 (Category II)

Photo: Gerard O’Brien – Reroof, May 2011

—

Related Posts and Comments:
22.6.13 Dunedin’s former Chief Post Office
5.3.11 Former Chief Post Office, Dunedin – magazine feature…
14.8.2010 No surprises with former CPO redevelopment
12.5.10 DScene – Geoff Thomson buys back former CPO
11.5.10 DCC Media Release – Chief Post Office
16.3.10 Planning the future of Dunedin heritage buildings [recent comments]
10.11.09 Dunedin public library services
24.10.09 Rodney Wilson: Dunedin as national heritage city
20.7.09 DCC + former CPO + others(??) = a public library (yeah right)

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: rootsweb.ancestry.com – Dunedin Chief Post Office (1930s) re-imaged by whatifdunedin; odt.co.nz – Gerard O’Brien: CPO Reroof, May 2011 [screenshot]

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.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Cities: Organic renewal

St Joseph, Missouri

### Citiwire.net Fri, July 5, 2013
Organic Renewal: St Joe’s Story
By Roberta Brandes Gratz
In the mid- and late 1960s, while many cities and towns were still tearing their hearts out for the false promises of urban renewal, all sorts of people, young and old, saw the beauty, value and promise of gracious living in historic buildings in the places left behind by suburban development. From San Francisco to Louisville to Providence to Brooklyn to St Louis and beyond, urban pioneers stripped, cleaned and restored the irreplaceable artifacts of bygone eras of quality and taste.
Those pioneers were the vanguard of the regeneration of neighbourhoods and cities that, today, many people do not remember were considered a blighted lost cause. Washington’s Georgetown. Park Slope in Brooklyn. King William in San Antonio. The Garden District in New Orleans. The Victorian Districts of San Francisco and Savannah. Who remembers that those neighbourhoods were once considered “blighted,” over, finished?

Surely, this is the most compelling storyline of the second half of the last century. The rebirth of today’s thriving cities started with the rediscovery of yesterday’s discards. That, as they say, is history. But history has a funny way of repeating itself. Today, one finds examples of that organic renewal process re-emerging.

Many cities have lost more than what remains of the authentic architecture on which to build a new momentum. Miraculously, one that survives with an amazing rich legacy to work with is St Joseph, Mo.
Set on a bend in the Missouri River and almost equidistant from Kansas City and Omaha, St Joseph was a railroad, lumber and banking centre and, most importantly, the last full provisioning point for the Westward Expansion in the mid-nineteenth century. It’s the birthplace of the Pony Express, the site of Jesse James’ demise, home of Stetson Hat, Saltine crackers and Aunt Jemima.
St Joseph is still home to a diverse assortment of agriculture-related industry. The past and present combine to offer new opportunities, and a small but growing group of adventurous entrepreneurs appear to be present to lead the way, like the urban pioneers of 50 years ago.
Read more

● Roberta Brandes Gratz is an urban critic and author of The Battle For Gotham: New York In the Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs, 2010, Nation Books.

****

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Grants Scheme for Central City Heritage Buildings

This item was published on 05 Jul 2013.

The DCC now has $90,000 available in grants for heritage building re-use projects in Princes Street and areas adjoining the Warehouse Precinct. Like the Warehouse Precinct scheme, this new grant scheme is focused on a specific geographic area to facilitate and expand the regeneration occurring there already. There has been good success with targeted incentive schemes in the Warehouse Precinct. Expanding into the areas around it recognises that the precinct is not an island, but is integrated with the areas around in and with the central city as a whole.

There is already some great work stirring regeneration in the area and it is important we are also poised to assist and encourage others to participate in this regeneration of the area south of the Octagon.

Applications can be made for support for a range of activities, from earthquake strengthening and facade restoration to assistance for businesses and creative industries in the area. The scheme allows building owners to build on the growing positive private sector re-use and investment in the area, such as the Chief Post Office, former BNZ and Standard Building restoration projects already or soon to be underway.

The scheme is supported by Resene Paints which is offering discounts on paint and free colour advice. Resene Otago Trade Representative Henry Van Turnhout says, “We are proud to be offering our support to another DCC area-based project, as we have for King Edward St and the Warehouse Precinct. We are also offering free assistance with colour selection as we recognise how greatly appropriate colour choice can influence the way a building – and an area – looks.”

Taking an area-based approach to regeneration and incentives encourages businesses and building owners to work together and to recognise the benefits for the entire area of re-using or improving their building.

Applications are open immediately, on a first come first served basis. Application forms will be sent to building owners, residents and businesses owners in the next week and are at www.dunedin.govt.nz/heritage

Last year’s Warehouse Precinct grants scheme supported 11 re-use projects in the area. Information about these is available at here.

Contact Glen Hazelton, DCC Policy Planner on 477 4000.

DCC Link
ODT: DCC boost for Princes St regeneration

—

Dunedin. In future years, the council plans to use this approach in other parts of the central city and beyond.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (from top) commons.wikimedia.org Tim Kiser – St Joseph, Missouri (2006): Buchanan County Courthouse, Downtown cnr Francis St and North 4th St, Downtown viewed from the east near cnr 10th and Charles. Dunedin: South Princes St (2007 watercolour by Elizabeth Gorden-Werner), former Gresham Hotel at Queens Gardens, Speight’s (Lion Breweries) on Rattray St; commons.wikimedia.org Benchill – Dunedin Central Fire Station, Castle St.

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

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

“Otago” —musing the provincial social history museum

[screenshot]

Peter Entwisle is perfectly right: “The Dunedin institution is here and is a window on the history of Otago.”

### ODT Online Mon, 7 Jan 2013
Opinion | Art Beat
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
By Peter Entwisle
The redevelopment of what used to be called the Otago Settlers Museum is undoubtedly a great success. But there are concerning issues surrounding it which need some careful thought.

Readers may remember I did not support the name change to include ”Toitu”. At a practical level it obscures the path to resources in publications using the old name. It was also a public relations ”own goal” because the opinion poll conducted by the museum showed overwhelming opposition, which was then blithely ignored. It thus became an issue for the city council, decided on the mayor’s casting vote. It is an odd use of the casting vote, which conventionally favours the status quo. In explanation Mayor Dave Cull said the institution was now a new museum and so a new name was appropriate.

“With respect, it is not a new museum, being on the same site and with the same collections, but an existing one expanded, physically. But the change of name and other things suggest it is changing its focus.”

I was on a tour of the premises shortly before their opening when director Linda Wigley addressed the group. When it came to question time I asked if the museum was not losing its focus on wider Otago. She acknowledged it was focusing more on Dunedin and I asked why that was and if it was a good thing. She said that as history museums had sprung up in other parts of Otago, she thought her institution should avoid poaching on their ground.

This has at best limited merit.
Read more

—

Related Posts and Comments:
21.9.12 Fugly ‘logo’ for Otago Settlers Museum
27.6.12 Otago Settlers Museum
31.5.12 The ‘happy’ little renaming of our leading social history museum
28.1.12 DCC “unjustifiably” disadvantages senior conservator
5.11.11 Otago Settlers Museum – Burnside Building (site visit)
28.1.10 Alert: Dunedin has some gifted professional conservators
24.10.09 Rodney Wilson: Dunedin as national heritage city

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Call for photographs or building plans – Standard Building, 201 Princes St

During a previous ownership, the historic Standard Insurance Building in the Exchange had its street elevation stripped of all decorative plaster detail. Fortunately for the city the current building owner, Exchange Renaissance Ltd, has honoured to reinstate the lost ornament.

Plaster craft specialist Daniel Pollard of Historic Building Conservation has been engaged to render the work.

The Standard Building at 201 Princes St is located between the old National Bank and the old Bank of New Zealand. A call for historical photographs of the original Standard Insurance Building facade has gone out to inform the facade reinstatement project.

—

A small number of historical photographs have been located, including the two images published here with the building owner’s permission. However, the photographs obtained provide an insufficient level of detail to successfully design and render the capitals of the arched windows.

—

The style of the building and the historical photographs together suggest a Corinthian-style capital was used orginally; the pilasters being square further define the shape. However, many different styles of Corinthian capitals are apparent on buildings of this era, therefore photographs of the Standard Building prior to 1969 are needed.

• Someone may have taken photographs of the old BNZ and National banks that include a view of the Standard Building’s capitals.

• Someone may hold original plans or records of the building, or know someone who was commissioned to remove the capitals in 1969.

If so, please contact Daniel Pollard, Historic Building Conservation, with your information.
Email: info@buildingconservation.co.nz
Phone: 03 489 0930
Mobile: 021 047 4007

Related Post:
24.10.11 Former Standard Insurance building, 201 Princes St, Dunedin

—

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

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Otago Settlers Museum – Burnside Building (site visit)

The newly refurbished Burnside building at the Otago Settlers Museum will be open to the public for a “sneak peek” tomorrow, from 2pm-4pm.

### ODT Online Sat, 5 Nov 2011
Public offered ‘sneak peek’ of upgrade
By John Lewis
A glass ceiling, more than three tonnes of new steel work, and a state-of-the-art temperature control system are just some of the refurbishments at the Otago Settlers Museum designed to “reinvigorate” the display of Otago’s heritage.
Read more

—

Otago Settlers Museum
31 Queens Garden, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 477 5052
Fax: 03 477 8360
Email: osmmail@dcc.govt.nz
www.otago.settlers.museum

One of New Zealand’s most significant social history museums, established in 1898, recording the past lives and times of the people and communities of the Otago region. Founded to mark the 50th anniversary of the settling of Dunedin.

Its comprehensive historical collections consist of everyday objects, costumes and textiles, art, photographs, transport and technology, and it holds extensive local history archives.

Housed in purpose-built Edwardian art galleries linked to the Category 1 Art Deco ex-NZR bus station.

The museum is CLOSED until late 2012 for redevelopment. A wide range of talks, performances, walking tours and workshops continue, see website for details.

—

Learn more about the museum redevelopment here.

Site plan of building redevelopment (PDF 1.3 MB)

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr