Architecture Week Auckland 07

Affordable housing, sustainable architecture and green buildings will be among the hot topics of the second ever Architecture Week Auckland to be held from October 15 – 19, 2007.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Architecture Week Auckland 07, organised by the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA), will celebrate and explore the history, people, places and spaces that make Auckland the city it is.

Pete Bossley, award winning architect and chair of the Auckland branch of the NZIA, says Architecture Week Auckland provides an important opportunity for people of all ages and from all walks of life to learn, enjoy, explore and raise their expectations of contemporary architecture; and to find ways to improve the built environment by exploring relevant and topical issues.

Says Pete Bossley: “The built environment is much more important than people often realise. Architecture Week Auckland 07 aims to get people excited about architecture and Auckland, and involved in a conversation about the issues that affect our built environment.”

Highlights of the week long architectural extravaganza include a nostalgic look at local church architecture by the late great architect Professor Richard (Dick) Toy starting with a “sermon” at one of his churches, All Saints Church in Ponsonby Road and an appearance from the highly regarded Californian architect Steven Ehrlich who’s designed award-winning buildings of all variety.

Most of the events will be held in or near the Britomart Pavilion, with all events (excluding the Steven Ehrlich lecture) open to the public and free of charge.

Exhibitions and installations, which were popular with the Auckland public last year, will make a return to this year’s schedule. City workers and passers-by will enjoy watching the future stars of architecture transform the Britomart precinct with their Urban Spoiler project, which will see students from each of the three Auckland architectural schools design and build three giant sculptural pavilions from scaffolding materials.

And from the up and coming to the established, Auckland’s well known architectural heavyweights will go head-to-head and compete to design a large scale model of an iconic building to take pride of place in Auckland’s controversial tank farm. Architects (and the public) will also demonstrate that it’s good to be green, donning their bike shorts and helmets and competing in an inner city bike race, which is sure to attract stares from passers-by.

During the evening the Britomart precinct will come alive, with images from Auckland architecture firms and students projected onto the exterior walls of buildings.

This year’s event also sees the return of a variety of architectural tours including a guided train tour to New Lynn and Henderson; a look at some of Auckland’s most significant heritage sites, and a tour of Dick Toy’s Auckland churches.

The keynote guest speakers and the “stars” of the event will be Steven Ehrlich, an award winning Californian architect and Earle Arney, director of Australian firm Woods Bagot Australia, who will present a case study on the Bank of New Zealand, 5 star rated building project.
There will be lectures and debates (discussions) at 8am, 12pm, 5.15pm and 6pm daily on hot topics such as affordable housing and green buildings, with guest speakers including Rewi Thompson (Adjunct Professor at the University of Auckland’s Architecture School), City Missioner Diane Robertson, Warren Jack (Habitat for Humanity), Jane Henley (Green Council), Lance Herbst (master of the New Zealand bach idiom) and Stas Louca, a British born architect who has worked in the field of affordable housing in the United Kingdom for over 10 years.

The week long architectural celebration will be officially opened at 12.30pm on Monday, October 15.

Landscape architecture will also be included in the event schedule, with the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Spring Series talk. Henry Crothers and Patrick Clifford of architectural firm Architectus, will speak about Auckland’s Queen Street redevelopment and the Wynyard Quarter Design Framework. Panel discussions organised by HOME New Zealand (formally New Zealand Home & Entertaining) featuring ‘Home of The Year’ winners and finalists and their work will also be a highlight, as will the NZIA Resene Local Architecture Awards.

Architecture Week Auckland 07 will conclude with an evening of Pecha Kucha, a presentation format which has spread virally throughout the world.

It’s expected that large crowds will gather on Friday evening for the Architecture Week Auckland 07 closing parties, which will include a massive student party in the Pavilion.

And, just to prove that architects can have fun and let their hair down, the recently formed Architecture Week Auckland 07 rock band (which is yet to be named and is comprised of a group of architects), will make their stage debut, joining three of Auckland University’s rock bands to entertain the crowds and farewell the event.

The Auckland City Council, Auckland Regional Council, Bluewater Management Company, University of Auckland, AUT, UNITEC, Habitat for Humanity, Housing New Zealand, IPENZ Engineering, Holmes Consulting Group and the Green Council are among the community groups and organisations who will take part in the event.

For a full list of events and activities visit: www.architectureweek.co.nz