The Arts Centre, Christchurch
Project info
The Arts Centre comprises a complex of Gothic Revival buildings in the centre of Christchurch. The oldest buildings date from the 1860s and were designed by notable architects including Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort, Samuel Hurst Seager, William Armson, and Collins and Harman.
The buildings were substantially damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes and have undergone a 10-year programme of structural upgrades, restoration and refurbishment. DPA Architects were appointed as site-wide heritage architects for the project, one of the largest conservation projects in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Great Hall, designed by Mountfort and built in 1882, reopened in 2016 after being extensively repaired and restored. Work included the reinstatement of a large stained glass Memorial Window dating from 1938. The restoration of the Great Hall earned the Supreme Award in the 2016 Canterbury Heritage Awards, as well as that year’s Seismic Award.
DPA Architects were also lead architects for the rebuilding of the Townsend Observatory Tower, which collapsed in the earthquakes.
The buildings were substantially damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes and have undergone a 10-year programme of structural upgrades, restoration and refurbishment. DPA Architects were appointed as site-wide heritage architects for the project, one of the largest conservation projects in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Great Hall, designed by Mountfort and built in 1882, reopened in 2016 after being extensively repaired and restored. Work included the reinstatement of a large stained glass Memorial Window dating from 1938. The restoration of the Great Hall earned the Supreme Award in the 2016 Canterbury Heritage Awards, as well as that year’s Seismic Award.
DPA Architects were also lead architects for the rebuilding of the Townsend Observatory Tower, which collapsed in the earthquakes.
