Hamilton is here, DUD

Link received from Hype O’Thermia
Sat, 4 Apr 2015 at 10:20 a.m.

█ Message: Local shop owners blame lack of free parking and rising costs for “demise” of Hamilton’s CBD.

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The Central Business District of Hamilton is looking a little gloomy, with for lease signs up in many shop windows.

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00, April 4 2015
Hamilton central-city retail space sits empty
By Rachel Thomas and Nancy El-Gamel
Twenty per cent of ground level central Hamilton retail space is empty. Local shop owners are blaming lack of free parking and rising costs, while business leaders are pointing fingers at absentee landlords, sub-standard buildings and an inability to compete with lower rents at The Base.

The Base is New Zealand’s largest shopping Centre based in Te Rapa, 7 km North of Hamilton CBD.

To quantify what the average shopper sees [in the CBD], the Waikato Times counted all ground floor premises in the block within Hood St, Victoria St, Angelsea St and Liverpool St, finding that of 524 premises, the 104 empty ones outnumbered the 67 locally owned and operated stores in the area. […] Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker acknowledged the CBD needed desperate attention, and said council was taking a “holistic approach” to the problem. […] “For the city centre to be successful it must be commercially and economically successful and over the last few decades most reports have focused on physical changes, so we have started with an economic analysis and looked at the trend since 2001 in terms of the economy.”
Read more + Video

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Read comments to the article.
How many other places – like Dunedin – mirror Hamilton ?

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: Waikato Times/Stuff – Hamilton CBD [screenshots from video]

Making heritage work | Dunedin New Zealand

Updated post Sat, 14 Mar 2015 at 4:05 p.m.

Interesting: Donovan Rypkema’s comments about planners’ preoccupation with densification, affecting communities living in older and historic residential neighbourhoods. He suggests sharing the density around but first, development of public transportation nodes requires attention. Dunedin’s draft second generation district plan (2GP) is heading to public notification in September this year.

### radionz.co.nz Fri, 13 Mar 2015
RNZ National – Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan
How important is heritage preservation in our cities
09:31 Donovan Rypkema is president of Heritage Strategies International, a Washington DC consulting firm. His book, “The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide”, is now in its third edition and his firm has had clients including the World Bank, the Inter American Development Bank, the Council of Europe and the United Nations Development Programme. He’s in New Zealand as a guest of the Civic Trust Auckland.
Audio | Download: Ogg MP3 ( 16′ 02″ ) | RNZ Link

█ In 2010, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) hosted Rypkema on a three-city tour, including Dunedin. During his visit he met with city leaders and business people; and presented public lectures at the Old BNZ in Princes St and on campus.

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‘The Dunedin City Council provides advice and support for building owners who want to upgrade and lease their buildings. The Christchurch earthquake acted as a catalyst in Dunedin, forcing important decisions on the future of the older parts of the city.’ –Glen Hazelton, DCC policy planner (heritage)

### idealog.co.nz 04 Mar 2015
Making heritage work: reaping rewards from Dunedin’s classic architecture
By Suzanne Middleton
The Christchurch earthquakes changed the rules around heritage buildings. Dunedin had to decide to bowl or strengthen. The writer talked to some enlightened enthusiasts in the old warehouse district who chose the heritage option – and haven’t regretted it.
Read more

Originally published in Idealog #54 (page 40)

Old BNZ Building via Idealog/Suzanne Middleton [click to enlarge]

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[topical] Related Post and Comments:
28.11.14 NZ Loan and Mercantile Building —Resource Consent granted
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
█ 28.3.11 Historic preservation [more on Rypkema – link replaced 14.3.15]

NZ Loan and Mercantile Building, Customhouse, Wharf Hotel [click to enlarge]
Image by whatifdunedin (lowres) – colour shots when appeal quashed

Note: Lunds were responsible for construction of the Cross Wharf, and reconstruction of the listed HM Custom House as a restaurant, on behalf of the Otago Regional Council.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

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]

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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)

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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

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Images 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.

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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

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

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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’s former Chief Post Office

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### ODT Online Sat, 22 Jun 2013
Post office conversion ready to go
By Hamish McNeilly
A multimillion-dollar project to transform the former Dunedin chief post office has been delivered. Work on converting the 10-storey heritage building into a 120-apartment hotel and office space for Silver Fern Farms and other commercial tenants could begin within weeks.

Building owner Geoff Thomson, of Distinction Hotels, told the Otago Daily Times: “I just love the building and it was just about trying to find a way to make it stack up.”

Arrow International would spearhead the fit-out of the office space and hotel and the construction of a multilevel car park at the rear of the building. The four-star plus Distinction Dunedin hotel project would cost more than $15 million, but those involved with the project declined to confirm a figure.
However, the anchor tenancy of Silver Fern Farms, which would occupy the first two floors, and unnamed commercial tenants the third floor, would help to “underpin the building”, Mr Thomson said.
The commercial floors would be fitted out by the end of the year. Construction of a three-storey car park on its Bond St car park at the rear of the building would also be done by then. Designs had yet to be finalised for the remaining seven floors of the hotel apartments.
Read more

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

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Related Posts and Comments:
16.3.10 Public meeting: planning the future of Dunedin heritage buildings [updates on SFF]
2.7.12 Demolition by neglect. Townscape precincts.
6.12.11 Distinction Hotels: more work on former Chief Post Office
5.3.11 Former Chief Post Office, Dunedin – magazine feature . . .
14.8.10 No surprises with former CPO redevelopment
27.5.10 Distinction Dunedin: former chief post office
12.5.10 DScene – Geoff Thomson buys back former CPO
11.5.10 DCC Media Release – Chief Post Office
10.11.09 Dunedin public library services
23.10.09 Weekend ODT looks at The Exchange
3.9.09 Dunedin Public Library feasibility
26.8.09 DScene: Delta, STS, DCC larks
20.7.09 DCC + former CPO + others(??) = a public library (yeah right)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (from top) topnews.net.nz – Dunedin Chief Post Office, 283 Princes Street, Dunedin; distinctionhotels.co.nz – thumbnail; rootsweb.ancestry.com – 1930s b/w

Dunedin Events: Gasworks150 + Heritage Impact150

AN IMPORTANT HERITAGE EVENT FOR OCTOBER 2013
2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the first production of town gas in New Zealand. This event took place at the Dunedin Gasworks which operated from 1863 to 1987, being the last gasworks to close in New Zealand.

The Gasworks played a significant role in Dunedin’s industrial, economic and social growth during its operation.

Today the Gasworks Museum forms a distinctive part of Dunedin’s industrial legacy and raises important issues about how industrial heritage can be sustained in the light of national and international experience.

As part of the celebrations the Dunedin Gasworks Museum Trust is planning a series of events to commemorate the significance of this anniversary.

Two major events are planned:

1. HERITAGE IMPACT150 – Industrial Heritage SYMPOSIUM
A three-day event to be based at Otago Settlers Museum. The symposium will bring together people with expertise and an interest in industrial heritage including archaeologists, architects, archivists, curators, engineers, historians, local government leaders, planners, sociologists, and those involved in tourism, heritage maintenance and restoration.

2. GASWORKS150 – Community FESTIVAL
The festival supported by funding from the Dunedin City Council will bring together the Dunedin community to celebrate the anniversary at the Gasworks Museum. The event is in its initial planning stages and will have an art and cultural focus including a celebration of dance, art and photographic exhibitions. There will be a market day, museum open days, and a competition for senior secondary school students involving an Industrial Heritage research project.

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The Call for Contributions to the Industrial Heritage Symposium HERITAGE IMPACT150 can be downloaded at www.gasworks150.org.nz

The website will be updated regularly.

What Can You Do To Help?
1. We have a wide distribution network based on our database, if you know of anyone or any organisation that may be interested in the symposium please ask them to contact us or visit www.gasworks150.org.nz
2. Talk to colleagues and help distribute news of the symposium and associated events.
3. Submit a proposal for contributions before 31 March 2013.
4. Encourage colleagues to join our newsletter list.

Contacts for further information:

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME
Ann Barsby
Symposium Convenor
Heritage Impact150
Phone: +64 (0)3 479 0169
ann@southernheritage.org.nz

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SYMPOSIUM AND FESTIVAL ORGANISER
Craig Bush
ExcellentEvents NZ Ltd
PO Box 327, Dunedin 9054
Phone: +64 (0)3 477 8048
Mobile: 021 890 095
admin@excellentevents.co.nz

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DUNEDIN: We’re short(!) but here is some UK nous…

Dunedin City has New Zealand’s largest historic heritage resource.

The following is taken from three pages of the English Heritage HELM Historic Environment Local Management website:

1. Tall Buildings
2. Regeneration
3. Building in Context

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TALL BUILDINGS

Guidance on tall buildings update
The English Heritage and Design Council CABE 2007 joint Guidance on tall buildings is a material consideration in the determination of planning applications for tall buildings.

Guidance on tall buildings
Guidance on Tall Buildings sets out how English Heritage and Design Council CABE evaluate and consider proposals for tall buildings. It also offers advice on good practice in relation to tall buildings in the planning process. Both organisations recommend that local planning authorities use it to inform policy making and to evaluate planning applications for tall buildings where the appropriate policies are not yet in place and the Government has endorsed this guidance.

This revised version was endorsed by Government on 26 July 2007. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr. Iain Wright) said:
“In conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, I would like to bring to the attention of the House the guidance note on tall buildings prepared jointly by English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), which is published today. This updates and supersedes previous guidance published in 2003 and reflects changes to the planning system since that time.

The Government’s aim is to ensure local planning authorities are getting the right developments in the right places, which we consider to be a fundamental part of creating places where people will want to live and work, now and in the future. Recent reforms to the planning system have helped to reinforce this message, making clear that all new development should be of good quality and designed in full appreciation of its surroundings and context. Tall buildings, in the right places and appropriately designed, can make positive contributions to our cities.

The Government therefore welcome this updated guidance, which will assist local planning authorities when evaluating planning applications for tall buildings, including, importantly, the need for effective engagement with local communities. It also places a greater emphasis on the contribution that design can make to improving the character and quality of an area. It offers good practice guidance to a range of stakeholders in relation to tall buildings in the planning process, provides practical advice on achieving well-designed solutions in the right places, and is capable of being material to the determination of planning applications. Copies of the documents are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.”

The Guidance and the National Planning Policy Framework
The approach set out in the Guidance is consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). At the heart of the NPPF is the presumption in favour of “sustainable development”. Pursuing sustainable development involves seeking improvements to the quality of the built and historic environment (paragraph 9) as well as economic, social and environmental progress generally. Paragraph 17 identifies 12 core principles that should underpin both plan making and decision taking, including securing high quality design and a good standard of amenity for all existing and future occupants of land and buildings, taking account of the different roles and character of different areas; conserving heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance.

The Government attaches great importance to the design of the built environment. Permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions (paragraphs 56 and 64). Planning decisions should ensure amongst other things that developments respond to local character and history (paragraph 58). Planning decisions should also address connections between people and places and the integration of new development into the historic environment (paragraph 61).

Local Planning Authorities should set out their strategic priorities for the area which should include strategic policies to deliver the conservation and enhancement of the natural and historic environment, including landscape (paragraph 156). Crucially, local plans should identify land where development would be inappropriate, for instance because of its environmental or historic significance. They need to contain a clear strategy for enhancing the natural, built and historic environment where they have been identified. – paragraph 157. This follows on from the requirement that local plans should set out the opportunities for development and clear policies on what will or will not be permitted and where (paragraph 154).

It is also important to note that local planning authorities should have up to date evidence about the historic environment in their area and use it to assess the significance of heritage assets and the contribution they make to their environment (paragraph 169).
Link

Download
Guidance on tall buildings 2007 (71 KB)

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REGENERATION

The historic environment is the context within which new development happens. Major inner city renewal, rural diversification, edge of village development, traffic calming measures: all have the potential to enhance or degrade the existing environment and to generate time- and resource-hungry conflict. An early understanding of the character and value of the historic environment prevents conflict and maximises the contribution historic assets can make to future economic growth and community well-being.

Conservation-led regeneration encourages private-sector investment both by retaining businesses in an area and by providing an incentive to relocate to it. Putting resources into a neighbourhood because of the value of what is already there, rather than labelling it as deprived, builds community and business confidence. So do works to improve the maintenance of the public realm of streetscape and public parks and gardens.

Understanding how places change, what makes them distinctive and the significance of their history is the key to regeneration. The historic environment is part of successful regeneration because it contributes to:

● Investment: Historic places attract companies to locate, people to live, businesses to invest and tourists to visit. Market values in historic areas are higher than elsewhere.

● Sense of place: People enjoy living in historic places. There is often greater community cohesion.

● Sustainability: Re-use of historic buildings minimises the exploitation of resources. There is evidence of lower maintenance costs for older houses.

● Quality of life: The historic environment contributes to quality of life and enriches people’s understanding of the diversity and changing nature of their community.

Planning for regeneration and renewal requires strong, effective partnerships at local and regional level. Local authorities play a central part in the management of the historic environment. The Local Authority Historic Environment Services pages give more information about the role of local authorities.

Conservation-led regeneration is successful because places matter to people. Neighbourhood renewal works because the quality of the places in which people live directly affects their quality of life. When communities are helped to develop their own sense of what matters for them, and why, the results can transform a neighbourhood and act as a catalyst for further private- and public-sector investment.
Link

Further reading
Regeneration and the Historic Environment
Heritage & Spin-off benefits
Heritage Works
Regeneration in Coastal Towns

Websites
English Heritage Regeneration Policy
The Heritage Dynamo: how the voluntary sector drives regeneration
Prince’s Trust Regeneration Through Heritage Handbook

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BUILDING IN CONTEXT

Building in Context was published jointly by English Heritage and CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) in 2001. It aims to stimulate a high standard of design when development takes place in historically sensitive contexts. It aims to do this by example, showing a series of case studies in which achievement is far above the ordinary. As a result, it is hoped that people will be encouraged to emulate the commitment and dedication shown by the clients, architects, planning officers and committee members involved in the projects illustrated and be able to learn from their experience.

The belief underlying the publication is that the right approach is to be found in examining the context for any proposed development in great detail and relating the new building to its surroundings through an informed character appraisal. This does not imply that any one architectural approach is, by its nature, more likely to succeed than any other. On the contrary, it means that as soon as the application of a simple formula is attempted a project is likely to fail, whether that formula consists of ‘fitting in’ or ‘contrasting the new with the old’.

A successful project will:

● Relate well to the geography and history of the place and the lie of the land
● Sit happily in the pattern of existing development and routes through and around it
● Respect important views
● Respect the scale of neighbouring buildings
● Use materials and building methods which are as high in quality as those used in existing buildings
● Create new views and juxtapositions which add to the variety and texture of the setting.

The right approach involves a whole process in addition to the work of design, from deciding what is needed, through appointing the architect, to early discussions with and eventual approval by the planning authority.

Collaboration, mutual respect and a shared commitment to the vision embodied in the project will be needed if the outcome is to be successful. The report came to a number of conclusions:

● All successful design solutions depend on allowing time for a thorough site analysis and careful character appraisal of the context
● The best buildings result from the creative dialogue between the architect, client, local planning authority and others; pre-application discussions are essential
● The local planning authority and other consultees can insist upon good architecture and help to achieve it
● Difficult sites should generate good architecture, and are not an excuse for not achieving it
● With skill and care, it is possible to accommodate large modern uses within the grain of historic settings
● High environmental standards can help generate good architecture
● Sensitivity to context and the use of traditional materials are not incompatible with contemporary architecture
● Good design does not stop at the front door, but extends into public areas beyond the building
● High-density housing does not necessarily involve building high or disrupting the urban grain and it can be commercially highly successful
● Successful architecture can be produced either by following precedents closely, by adapting them or by contrasting with them
● In a diverse context a contemporary building may be less visually intrusive than one making a failed attempt to follow historic precedents

The above are extracts from the document, which was written by Francis Golding. The case studies were chosen to cover a wide range of different uses, locations, architectural approaches and processes. Each case study looks at the project as a whole, the site, the problems, the solutions and the lessons learnt.

The full text of Building in Context and its case studies are available on-line from the PDF version of the document.
Link

Download
Building in context: New development in historic areas (2.94 MB)

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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

Damien Hirst goes eco

Ilfracombe, Devon UK

### wired.co.uk 17 February 2012
Business
Damien Hirst to build 500 sustainable homes in Devon
By Duncan Geere
Artist Damien Hirst has announced plans to build 500 homes in Devon that aim to serve as a model for environmental housing across the UK. The houses will be located in Ilfracombe, on land that’s been owned by Hirst for the past 10 years and a pair of nearby farms. Each will be equipped with photovoltaic panels and concealed wind turbines in the roofs, but be designed to complement existing local buildings.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

180 Rattray St, Dunedin — former P. Hayman & Co. Building (1872)

North Princes Street/Moray Place/Exchange Townscape Precinct (TH03)

Correction: The council received 12 submissions on the application.

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### ODT Online Tue, 11 Oct 2011
Demolition hearing delayed
By Chris Morris
A 19th-century central Dunedin commercial building has been granted a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball, after an application to demolish it to make way for a car park was placed on hold. However, building owner Lincoln Darling said when contacted yesterday he planned to proceed with the application next year, and nothing had changed. Mr Darling had sought resource consent to demolish the former Furniture Court Building at 180 Rattray St and replace it with a rental car park until another development opportunity arose.

• “Obviously, you do look at submissions … if they [submitters] want to chat with me I’m quite happy to talk to them about their concerns.” -Lincoln Darling

• New Zealand Historic Places Trust Otago-Southland area manager Owen Graham, in his submission, argued the “deficient” application lacked a detailed heritage assessment.

• Mr Darling said he had contacted Mr Graham last week to arrange a meeting, but had no views on his submission as “I haven’t even read it”.

Read more

Related Post, Comments and Recent Correspondence:
25.8.11 180 Rattray St, Dunedin: Proposed historic building demolition…

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Lincoln Darling and friends might like to attend the DCC Workshop for heritage building owners on Wednesday, 23 November.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Facebook: Upright! Supporting Dunedin’s Built Heritage

Local heritage advocates have recently created ‘Upright! Supporting Dunedin’s Built Heritage’ at Facebook.

We want to see Dunedin’s built heritage remain upright, and for it to be kept up the right way: sensitively, sustainably and safely.

This page is here for us all — to share our opinions, knowledge, perspectives and love of this city. We can all benefit from the sharing of information and through this, develop a greater appreciation for our surrounds, and explore the potential for their enhancement.

Dunedin’s strong commercial and industrial past as the first city of Aotearoa New Zealand shapes our streets, skylines and even our psyches. It’s not solely the grand commercial buildings of the Exchange area, the awe-inspiring cathedrals and the stately houses perched on the hills that are significant, but also the lesser-noticed buildings that are equally worthy of recognition and preservation. To lose these to neglect, demolition or insensitive redevelopment is an affront to both our past, and our future.

Upright! Supporting Dunedin’s Built Heritage
See interesting Notes, Photos, and comments at the Wall.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Milwaukee regeneration project: The Brewery

### switchboard.nrdc.org Posted September 22, 2011
A spectacular green neighbourhood is brewing in Milwaukee
By Kaid Benfield (Blog)
Milwaukee’s newest trendy neighbourhood is likely to become one of its best, and almost certainly its greenest. The Brewery, an environmentally sensitive restoration and adaptation of historic structures among the decaying wreckage of the former Pabst Brewing Company, is already home to striking residential lofts, a great beer hall, a range of offices, Cardinal Stritch University City Centre, and a small urban park. Soon it will add a senior living facility and the School of Public Health of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Look for more residential and commercial presence, including a boutique hotel, retail and restaurants, over time.

The Brewery, when built out (courtesy of The Brewery)

The seven-block, 20-acre project [plans] involved the restoration and adaptive reuse of an amazing 26 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, surely making it one of the most ambitious historic preservation projects in the country. It also involved extensive brownfield cleanup; had a great location within walking distance of Milwaukee’s downtown; planned aggressive use of green infrastructure to manage stormwater; planned to set aside some apartments for qualifying low-income families; and included standards for high-performing green buildings.

The site before construction (image by Jeramey Jannene)

The Brewery was also strongly supported by the city government in what has been the largest public-private partnership in Milwaukee’s history. When the site is fully built out, it is expected to include at least 300 homes and some 1.3 million square feet of office and retail property.
Read more

-Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Training, jobs, city regeneration

Register to read D Scene online at
http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/

### D Scene 5-10-11
Celebrating restoration
By Owen Graham
The Larnach Tomb restoration project, like others, needed the specialist skills of a stonemason and stained glass artist to ensure a high standard of preservation. The quality of work is there for all to see and, in a city with as much heritage as Dunedin, is a reminder that there ought to be many more opportunities for skilled trades and crafts people, and for these skills to be nurtured and passed on. There is work waiting to be done in heritage restoration projects. {continues} #bookmark

• Owen Graham is the New Zealand Historic Places Trust area manager Otago/Southland

Related Post: 17.9.11 Larnach Tomb restoration

Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust of New Zealand Photos* + More

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

John Montgomery: The Economy, Culture and Design of Cities

Dunedin City Council hosted a public lecture by Dr John Montgomery at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery last Friday (16 September).

Dr Montgomery provided a presentation [PDF, 5.94 MB] on the economy, culture and design of cities, building on his work in the UK and Australia. His views are particularly relevant for the development of Dunedin’s Central City Plan and Economic Development strategies.

John Montgomery is an urban planner, economist, author and managing director of Urban Cultures Ltd.

Urban Cultures consults in urban economics, city planning, urban design, arts-led urban revitalisation and managing the night-time city.

More on John Montgomery at Idealog.

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Your City Our Future (YCOF) – Update

Dunedin City Council undertook a city-wide consultation in June 2011 to identify priorities for future expenditure. The results from the consultation survey are available here: YCOF survey report July 2011

The information and feedback received from the consultation, along with the feedback from the YCOF leadership teams has been used in the development of the Council’s draft spatial plan, “Dunedin Towards 2050”, draft Central City Plan, and draft Economic Development Strategy.

Formal consultation on these documents is planned for October/November 2011.

Find additional information on the development of the Council’s Central City Plan here: www.dunedin.govt.nz/centralcityplan

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Building facade failure: “It’s only the facade at the front that can’t be used”

What is building performance monitoring, cyclical maintenance, restoration and structural repair? Or, read: Good stewardship of the built environment is eroded by owners inclined to apathy and hands-off neglect, while they continue to extract rents from tenants.

Not helped by the Dunedin City Council’s half-baked street improvements scheme for King Edward St, South Dunedin, led by ‘feel good’ inexperienced staff. This scheme puts money to the likes of unsympathetic paintwork (destroying patina of age), ugly street furniture, and traffic management plans – rather than to the means of generating funds for building conservation, first and foremost to preserve heritage values and the community’s enduring ‘sense of place’ as the basis for future development and economic return.

Images (2010): Elizabeth Kerr

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Brocklebanks Dry Cleaners owner Roger Brocklebank, whose family trust owns the building, said a family trustee had met DCC chief building control officer, Neil McLeod, about the damage yesterday.

### ODT Online Sat, 13 Aug 2011
South Dunedin building facade unsafe
By Nigel Benson
A south Dunedin building was closed by the Dunedin City Council yesterday and is likely to be condemned after its facade was discovered to be cracking and leaning. The building, on the corner of King Edward St and Carey Ave, houses four businesses; Fine Art Mounting, Dinkum Donuts, Feedback burger bar and Brocklebanks Dry Cleaners.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Central City Plan consultant reports back #Dunedin

Kobus Mentz and the Urbanism Plus team working on the Central City Plan are due to report back to the Council and public on 11 August, with their draft findings.

For those who made the original workshop in June, you’ll know that Kobus and team take a collaborative approach. They have received a huge number of inputs and ideas from a wide range of sources – this will be a great opportunity to view their progress.

We look forward to seeing the draft plan!

The public session for reporting back is on August 11, 6-8pm at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery auditorium.

All welcome.

Please RSVP (for indication of numbers) to Glen Hazelton, Policy Planner (Heritage), Dunedin City Council – phone 03 477 4000, fax 03 474 3451
glen.hazelton@dcc.govt.nz

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Related post:
7.6.11 Public Workshop: Dunedin Central City

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Historic preservation

### americancity.org 17 March 2011
Next American City: Buzz
Misunderstanding Historic Preservation
By Johanna Hoffman
Of all the design disciplines, historic preservation is perhaps the most misunderstood. While it’s widely accepted that architects design our buildings, and planners organise our cities, the role of preservationists merits less appreciation. Popular culture abounds with clichés of the preservation zealot – there’s the gray-haired old lady laying herself down in front of an oncoming bulldozer, the guy dedicated to rescuing decrepit buildings and saving historical artifacts, and the Not-In-My-Back-Yard types preventing economic development at every turn.
Read more

█ Last year, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) hosted Rypkema on a three-city tour, including Dunedin. During his visit he met with city leaders and business people; and presented public lectures at the Old BNZ in Princes St and on campus.

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Related Posts and Comments:
19.2.11 Dunedin, are you ‘of a mind’ to protect Historic Heritage?
28.12.10 Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus / Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle
21.9.10 Storm Cunningham: Champion of the Restoration Economy
14.9.10 DCC Media Release: Dunedin’s Heritage Buildings
8.1.10 Eco-upgrade for Europe’s largest brick building

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

South Dunedin main street

UPDATED

### ODT Online Wed, 24 Nov 2010
Plans for discussion
By Chris Morris
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull hopes upgrading King Edward St will help restore the lost vibrancy of South Dunedin’s main shopping street. Concept designs for the project to upgrade the street are nearing completion, and would be presented to the public at an open day at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum on November 30.
Read more

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Public Open Day to View South Dunedin Concept Designs

With concept designs for the King Edward Street area nearing completion, the DCC is inviting the public to a second open day, to be held at the Gasworks Museum.
Jane Orbell, chair of the South Dunedin Business Association, says the Association has been meeting regularly with the DCC staff working on this strategy and the development plans and she urges everyone to have their say.
“People need to take this opportunity to let the DCC know how they want to their community look and feel. People may have great ideas that haven’t made it into the plan yet… let the designers know on the 30th!”
At the open day on 30 November, from 4pm – 7pm, attendees will have the opportunity to look at the concept designs, and talk to DCC staff over a cup of tea and a sandwich.
While this is an informal drop-in session, the public will also be encouraged to offer their feedback on the designs. Emma O’Neill, Urban Design Special Projects Manager says the feedback received so far has been invaluable in the development of the concept designs. “We have had great input from the community so far on the project, and now we want people to tell us what they think about the options we have come up with,” she says.
For those who are unable to attend the open day, the designs will also be available at http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/southdunedin from 30 November until 17 December with an online comment form. The project team anticipate selecting a preferred option in the new year.
Contact Steve Miles on 474 3459.

Last reviewed: 19 Nov 2010 12:26pm

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Related Posts and Comments:
25.11.10 DCC: low resident satisfaction with communication
25.11.10 Carisbrook: Spoofs from zoo brain
19.11.10 DCC lacks clear vision for Carisbrook area
16.11.10 Supermarket plans… “amicable” agreement reached
6.11.10 What can we slash – DCC
11.9.10 Carisbrook future…
4.9.10 Earthquake [earthquake proneness in South Dunedin – see Comments]
22.8.10 ‘Neighbourhood revival starts with a new public library’
29.7.10 Dunedin social housing
26.5.10 D Scene – South Dunedin library, Hillside, RWC 2011

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Cities: Wellington, or Dunedin?

I doubt the Dunedin stadium’s pulling power in attracting new residents. It’s ugly, it’s essentially redundant and its intimidating bulk will hinder people-friendly development of the surrounding area. –Meg Davidson

### ODT Online Mon, 27 Sep 2010
Let us, too, become the city of the verb, not expletive
By Meg Davidson
Dunedin resident Meg Davidson laments opportunities lost and asks if the city could follow Wellington’s lead.
Last month my daughter was lost to Dunedin. I was with her in Wellington, the new object of her affections, when she was seduced and I, a passionate Dunedinite, was seized by the same unexpected delight in the city I hadn’t visited for three decades.
Read more

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We’re almost there, inside our final year – and nothing our dwindling band of critics say will deflect us from our primary purpose: to deliver, on time, on budget and fit for purpose, New Zealand’s first roofed, multipurpose performance venue and something all can be proud of. –Malcolm Farry

### ODT Online Mon, 27 Sep 2010
Something we can all be proud of
By Malcolm Farry
Carisbrook Stadium Trust chairman Malcolm Farry reflects on the journey towards building the “the best stadium in New Zealand”.
When I was asked in 2004 to lead an investigation into an upgrade for Carisbrook, the challenge was to investigate and recommend the best option that would produce most benefits to Dunedin and the region.
Read more

● Malcolm Farry is the chairman of Carisbrook Stadium Charitable Trust.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

European Workshop Waterfront Urban Design

@ Lisboa (Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal)

### archdaily.com 27 Jan 2010
European Workshop Waterfront Urban Design
By Sebastian J
ULHT (Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias) has organised an international workshop on the theme of waterfront design (European Workshop Waterfront Urban Design) EWWUD. This event will take place between 14 and 28 March 2010 and has several international specialists in nine foreign universities.
Solutions for the relocation of port facilities and the consequent waterfront regeneration of old ports are dependent upon the capacity of both port and city to sucessfully develop the necessary means of negotiation, to work towards mutual improvements. While port representatives privilege the efficiency of maritime activity, city leaders pursue improvements to their citizens’ quality of life.

Exchange of good practices between port cities is required with two goals: to support the ports’ need to expand and relocate, and to produce urban waterfront REGENERATION that integrates rather than segregates neighbourhoods and their citizens.

Workshop objectives:
Port cities sharing similar experiences regarding projects of architecture and urban design at former port areas; discussion of the influence generated by geographic and historical factors; introduction of the cartographic culture of urban fabric’s transformation at the water edge; comparison of cultural, environmental and historical heritage solutions; port cities exchange mutual visions and common pratices, that constitute a relevant tool for the regeneration of former port areas; production of architecture and urban design sketches for publication; understanding that former industrial waterfronts are potential sites of continuity for urban morphology.
Email: ewwud @ulusofona.pt

ArchDaily Link + Workshop Poster

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

ORC’s bus stop chaos – mediated

There’s the large matter, in Dunedin, that Otago Regional Council can’t afford to provide new bus shelters. Actually, it seems totally unable to provide timetables at bus stops so why are we surprised.

The twentyfirst century hasn’t arrived at ORC, or the bus stops – other New Zealand cities have digital read-outs at their stops to tell you how many minutes away the next bus is.

Ah, but this is the Deep South of presbyterian economy – no flashy gadgets here for punters, no seats, no shelters, “no change – get off” if you flash the bus driver a ten or twenty dollar note to pay your fare.

To soften this misery, to raise hope of salvation one day, here’s a collection of bus stop advertisements to inspire! The bus shelter designs aren’t bad either.

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Thanks to Paul’s (five15design) twitter feed, a mediation:

### http://www.designussion.com January 2, 2010
Inspiration, Showcases by Designussion
30+ Creative Bus Stop Advertisements
Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and since then we have not looked back. Everywhere we look today there is some form of advertising trying to persuade its viewers, readers or listeners to take some action. Due to the huge increase in advertising, companies have been forced to produce creative and unique advertising which takes a twist on original advertising to beat their competition.
Designussion Link + Images/Youtube videos

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In brief, something about ‘quality of design’ and city regeneration…

### http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk 4 January, 2010
Design team sought for new Stoke bus station
By James Pallister
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has launched a search for a design team to build a new city centre bus station.
Read more

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

Urban regeneration: knowing where potential lies

The past decade has created a flood of carbon copy useless ‘new’ city centres…

### guardian.co.uk Tuesday 29 December 2009 10.13 GMT
2000 to 2009: Reviews of the decade
Regeneration in the noughties
By Tom James
I moved to Sheffield in 2000. Back then, it was a pretty mad place: a post-Blade-Runner-city of soviet-style car parks, motorways through the city centre and pedestrians herded into underpasses. Knackered, empty and full of potential.
Regeneration seemed to offer an opportunity to change all that, to turn the city into something amazing. My friends and I dreamed of old factories full of art and music; of our brutalist heritage restored; of derelict cooling towers turned into Tate Moderns of the north. We realised pretty quickly that this was a little ambitious.
Read more

-Tom James is an urban activist and writer.

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Follow the link above for more Guardian articles on Regeneration, including:

30.12.09 Public space in the noughties by Anna Minton, author of Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the 21st Century City, published by Penguin.
This should have been the decade of public space but, instead, areas are increasing becoming privately owned and controlled.

20.11.09 Politicians must acknowledge the value of volunteering
Don’t pay us lip service, recognise the part we play in regenerating communities, says Brenda Grixti, Manager of Benchill Community Centre in Wythenshawe.

5.8.09 Legacy of the docks
It is time to rethink the London Docklands development as simply a struggle between powerless locals and ‘yuppie’ colonisers, says former resident Michael Collins.

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### localknowledge.mercatus.org Friday, January 1, 2010
Caring Communities: The Role of Nonprofits in Rebuilding the Gulf Coast
By Peter J. Boettke
The idea of “social entrepreneurship”—innovation in the philanthropic sector to fill in the gaps left by both the market sector and the state sector—has become a hot topic in the last decade. People increasingly wonder how nonprofit enterprises and social entrepreneurs can effectively mimic the successes of the market economy in increasing human welfare, choice, and dignity without either the profit-loss system of markets or the democratic and constitutional checks of the public sector.

The face-to-face forces of reputation and community membership not only coordinate highly effective small-scale projects that support those in need, but they provide a sense of community and identity to us all.

This issue of Local Knowledge seeks to pay attention to and increase our understanding of the necessity and vitality of such associations and the work of social entrepreneurs in society, both in normal times and in those that are most trying.
Read more

-Peter J. Boettke is University Professor of Economics at George Mason University and Vice President of Research, Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

If the ball gets dropped #markthal

Updated post Thu, 5 Feb 2015 at 3:17 p.m.

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New use for fubar stadium, ok – joke! . . .

MVRDVrotterdam Uploaded on 15 May 2009
MVRDV Market Hall Rotterdam (animation by Wieland & Gouwens)
New public market for Rotterdam, Netherlands, sheltered by an arch of 219 apartments in the centre of Rotterdam. Client is Provast, expected completion in 2014.

Kanaal van Provast Uploaded on Nov 22, 2009
Introfilm Markthal Rotterdam – De eerste Markthal van Nederland
Music: “Dogstar (Instrumental)” by Hybrid (Google Play • iTunes • eMusic)
[includes abstracted site history]

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### worldarchitecturenews.com Thursday 19 Nov 2009
Archway to the future: Rotterdam Market Hall, Rotterdam, Netherlands
First ground was broken this week (18 November) at the site of the new €175 million Rotterdam Market, representing the beginnings of a new hybrid social hub. The mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutleb and city councillor Hamit Karakus were on site to commence the construction of the monolithic 100,000 sq m public market and apartment building, designed by MVRDV.
Once complete in 2014 the market will be a giant cavernous archway in the centre of post-war Rotterdam, situated near the historic Laurens church. 228 apartments over ten upper levels will engulf the market void and overlook 100 stalls from interior windows. Each apartment will also feature a balcony on the exterior connecting the project with the community from all angles. The two lower levels of the archway will be used as public space introducing shops and restaurants. Together with an underground supermarket, 1200 parking spaces and 102 of the apartments developed as rental properties, the project is expressed as a social integration in the centre of Rotterdam.
Read more + photos

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adjofilm Published on May 25, 2014
NETHERLANDS – Europe – ROTTERDAM – Market Hall Construction Day 2014
Building the new Market Hall in Rotterdam is almost completed. The art work on the walls and the ceiling is claimed to be the largest piece of art in the world. Private homes are build in the walls and in the ceiling. Additionally there are 4 underground levels with shops and car parks. The size of the inner space of the hall is 40 m high, 60 m wide and 120 m long.

Sander Sloots Published on Oct 1, 2014
Markthal in Rotterdam is open (Market Hall – Food Court) MVRDV
The Market Hall in Rotterdam is now open. It is design by architect and urban design practice MVRDV. The art work at the ceiling is designed by Arno Coenen and is called Horn of Plenty. Due to this artwork the Market Hall was nicknamed as the Sistine Chapel of Rotterdam.
Under the market floor there is also a supermarket (Albert Heijn) and an underground car park of four floors.

Visit www.mvrdv.nl for more information about the complex.
You can also follow MVRDV on Twitter and Facebook : “MVRDV Rotterdam”.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Images: Markthal Rotterdam by MVRDV – (from top) aasarchitecture.com, supermodulor.com; mobilis.nl, mvrdv.nl, afasiaarq.blogspot.com, detail-online.com, drupa.com, markthalrotterdam.nl; market floor plan – archdaily.net; building section – markthalrotterdam.nl