Showcasing designs for a new Christchurch
An exhibition exploring new design proposals for the Christchurch rebuild was held in Christchurch recently and featured work from graduates of Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Architecture.
The Studio Christchurch Retrospective Exhibition combined work from the six New Zealand universities and polytechnics that participate in Studio Christchurch; a collaborative summer school for students of architecture and related fields.
The exhibition was curated by three design and visual arts professionals, including two staff members from Victoria University’s School of Architecture: Senior Lecturer Mark Southcombe and Associate Dean Daniel K. Brown.
The 200-plus projects on display included designs for housing, school and red zone redevelopments, as well as those for the city centre, Christchurch Cathedral, conference centres and industrial zones.
“The exhibition represented a comprehensive, fresh and idealised vision of what Christchurch could become. The students were mostly unconstrained by politics and pragmatism when creating their designs,” says Southcombe.
The exhibition was organised in conjunction with the eighth annual international conference of the Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia