Christchurch’s new central library, Tūranga, was awarded the John Scott Award for Public Architecture by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects at the 2019 New Zealand Architecture Awards. The project was designed by Architectus and Schmidt Hammer Lassen.

The judges said, “Tūranga is a building of distinction, which admirably fulfils its function as Christchurch’s main library and, also, with its strong but not overbearing presence, makes a very important contribution to the shaping of the Square and the signifying of the public realm of the central city. The collaboration with Matapopore Charitable Trust and Ngāi Tūāhuririri has been thoroughgoing and influential, informing the experience of whakamanuhiri, the ‘bringing in’ of visitors and their ascent via generous and well-crafted stairways, which rise through a light-filled atrium in a manner suggestive of the passage of the mythical hero Tāwhaki to the heavens. The design offers a range of well-considered and appropriately differentiated spaces, complemented by sympathetic material selection, and the pleasure of occupation and use is enhanced by the library’s service as an urban balcony, offering perspectives on and connections to the surrounding city, Christchurch’s rural hinterland and the Southern Alps.”

Architectus project description

Tūranga, Christchurch’s new central library, is one of nine anchor projects identified as vital to the redevelopment of the city centre in the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The design of the five-storeyed library supports the city’s desire for a public space that strengthens the community, advances literacy and lifetime learning, celebrates diversity of culture and heritage, draws people back to the city centre and fosters innovation.

The resulting design is a response to the city context, the desire to re-establish the urban form of the Square – both physically and culturally – and a collaboration with tangata whenua. The architects collaborated with Matapopore Charitable Trust and Ngāi Tūāhuririri, whose influence on the design of the building is substantial – from building materials to physical orientation, there is a rich tapestry of ancestry, traditional knowledge and culture woven throughout Tūranga.

The ground floor is a continuation of the public realm of the Square and this relationship evokes the concept of whakamanuhiri, the welcoming ‘bringing-in’ of arriving visitors. The first floor celebrates the key community spaces: the community arena – a space for the people to discuss, debate, share and celebrate; and the children’s and youth areas, each positioned to maximise its relationship with the public realm. The upper floors house a blended collection of books, media, and meeting, social and creative spaces with key elements oriented to acknowledge significant points in the Canterbury landscape. The building’s floors are connected by a staggered atrium, which features a social staircase for gathering, reading and resting. The design of the atrium references Tāwhaki, a superhuman from ancestral traditions, and his determined pursuit of knowledge in his ascent through the heavens.

See all the winning projects from the 2019 New Zealand Architecture Awards here.