Infrastructure upgrades  |  16 Nov 2020

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Christchurch’s refurbished Town Hall is in the spotlight, taking top billing at the annual property industry awards.

The “technically complex and demanding project” has won the Naylor Love Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award at the 2020 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.

The best in category prize recognises the “meticulous reconstruction” work by the Christchurch City Council and construction partner Hawkins.

Council Capital Delivery Major Facilities Manager Alistair Pearson says that winning the prestigious award “illustrates the immense value in reconstructing a much-loved city venue”.

“We have achieved a ‘gold standard’ in complex redesign and refurbishment to again underline the Town Hall’s reputation as a premier performance facility.” Mr Pearson says.

“While we have preserved the past, we have just as importantly ensured the future of the iconic site,” he says.

The award judges say that the works not only “preserve a premier performing arts venue but further develop the facilities to improve its offering to the community”.

A “technically complex and demanding project”, the refurbishment includes the replacement of the foundations while “protecting the heritage features of the building”.

The award also cites the result as “a highly refined rejuvenated public venue that will serve the people of Christchurch for decades to come”.

Further afield, the Council’s Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub – project managed by AECOM – has won an excellence award in the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award category.

Hosted by the Property Council, the awards celebrate excellence in design and innovation, highlighting iconic projects in property development.

The Town Hall has also been recognised at the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards in the Public and Institutional Space/Built Environments category.