Each year, the New Zealand Institute of Architects brings us 10 days of events across the country that aim to engage Kiwis with the architecture and design industry. This year, the Festival of Architecture runs from 20 to 29 September and the programme is packed with talks, tours, competitions, exhibitions and more. 

Festival director for 2019, Tony Van Raat, says, “We hope the festival will spark national conversation about how good design can transform the way we live. Everyone involved has worked hard to put together a fabulous line-up together that will appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds.”

Events are taking place from Auckland to Waikato and Nelson to Otago, and things are happening morning, noon and night over the 10-day period. Here, we’ve chosen some of our highlights:

Festival favourites Open Studios and World [PARK]ing day return this year. For Open Studios, architecture and design firms – including Peddle Thorp, Crosson Architects, Jasmax and Studio Pacific Architecture  – across Auckland and Wellington will invite the public into their workspaces. World [PARK]ing Day will see small urban spaces turned to pop-up public parks on 20 September. This is an annual global event, and Auckland, Tuaranga and Bay of Plenty will be taking part this year.

The annual Ian Athfield Memorial Lecture will come to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch this year and will be given by Billy Fleming. Billy is an American landscape architect who is currently the director at the University of Pennsylvania’s McHarg Center and a former domestic policy adviser in the Obama Administration and co-founder of Data Refuge. He is a keen thinker and advocate for pressing issues such as climate change and urban resilience. 

Auckland

In Auckland, the Festival kicks off on Friday 20 September at 6pm with the opening of Making Ways at Objectspace gallery. Four practices that are doing architecture in innovative and unconventional ways will be in the spotlight for one week each; the exhibition runs from 14 September to 12 October and features Unit Y, Makers of Architecture, ĀKAU and Hatch Workshop. The gallery will host several events during the Festival to foster discussion and exploration of the themes behind the exhibit, including breakfast conversations and workshops. 

Don’t lock up your daughters!: This panel discussion is organised by Women in Urbanism and it will cover the important issues facing women and girls growing up in Auckland today, taking place on 21 September from 2-3pm. 

Serious about Seville

: This exhibition displays student work from 2nd to 5th year students from the University of Auckland’s international studio, exploring projects in Seville, Spain. Over 60 projects are sampled, accompanied by the students’ travel images. The exhibit is sure to portray the ways in which architectural education crosses borders and geographies.

AAA Public Good Design Competition: Organised by the Auckland Architecture Association (AAA), this open ideas competition asks participants to reimagine the Dominion Road flyover as if it were reclaimed from traffic. Projects must be handed in from 10am-12pm on 28 September, with an exhibition and discussion later that day from 5-8pm. Find out more here.

Site Seeing: A collection of site tours, giving a behind the scenes look at some of Auckland’s most influential new builds, run at various locations and times throughout the Festival. Projects include the ASB Waterfront Theatre by Moller Architects and the Long Bay Village, presented by Architectus and Boffa Miskell. Several tours have already sold out, so get in quick.

Model Citizens: We’d be remiss to not mention our very own competition, where we’ll ask teams to build models out of over 175kgs of Lego. Click here to find out more. 

Wellington

Why We Cycle: This film screening and panel discussion takes place on 28 September from 6pm at City Gallery Wellington. The documentary and conversation brings up a topic close to the hearts of many Wellingtonians and will cover a multitude of perspectives on urban cycling. 

Every Building on Cuba Street: To launch this project by photographer Andy Spain – which condenses 900 metres of building from Wellington’s most iconic street into 7.5 metres – The Wall Gallery will host an opening on 20 September from 6-8:30pm. Andy along with Wellington historian Ben Schrader will give short presentations.

Makers Fabrication Factory Tour: There is no doubt that alternative building models are on the rise. Stay on top of the curve and get a behind the scenes peek at prefabrication techniques, from CNC machinery to digital fabrication to assembly, with this tour on 21 September from 2-3pm.

Regional events

Pecha Kucha Hamilton: This event, featuring a lively format presentations made up of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each, comes to Hamilton on 27 September from 6:30pm. Pecha Kucha nights are always eye-opening an entertaining, covering a wide range of topics, and this Waikato event will be no exception.

Edible Architecture Cake Competition: If you’re up for a challenge in the Nelson region, this competition puts your baking skills to the test. Judged on taste, creativity, colour and architectural relevance, the results are likely to be intriguing. You can drop off finished cakes on Friday 27 September from 12-4pm and winners will be announced on the 28th.

Arrowtown Historic Walking Tour

: Arrowtown’s historic high street is a bastion of conservation in Otago, and this event will give you insight into the preservation of Buckingham Street through the years. Pop along on 22 September from 2-3pm for an informational and entertaining walk.

There are many more events taking place throughout the Festival of Architecture, with something for every interest. See the full line up events in each region at festivalofarchitecture.nz.