Centre for the Creative Arts

The brief for this project was for a Creative Arts Centre forming a new Victoria University Campus in Shelly Bay, on the Miramar Peninsular of Wellington. The central concept to this design is 'Te Whare Tapa Whā', a Māori model of holistic wellbeing translating to the four cornerstones. A person’s soul is made up of four walls, Taha tinana (physical health), Taha wairua (spiritual health), Taha whanau (family health), and Taha hinengaro (mental health). The idea is each of these walls is key to your wellbeing, all four of them have to be strong. This concept is represented in the proposal in multiple ways. The most significant way is through the four large green walls, utilising the greenery. Additionally, the centre of the structure is a full height atrium. This creates a large, light space for occupants to enter. The external form was created through a diagrammatic exploration of the site.