Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park - a double winner
This year turned out to be a double winner for the teams behind Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park (ARP) and City Promenade in Otautahi at the Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture awards.
The Christchurch anchor project won the Urban Spaces Category as well as the supreme prize - the NZILA George Malcolm award - at the ceremony in November.
Judges describe the winning project as “transformational”.
In the judges citation for the Urban Spaces Category win it was noted that although the project consists of a series of sub-landscapes “each with their own character and focus” there is an overall sense of coherence.
The judges said “ although the product of a range of practices, Te Papa Ōtākaro maintains a feeling of unity and substance throughout.”
The entry stated that “Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park (ARP) and City Promenade in Otautahi/ Christchurch project for Otakaro Limited is the largest ever public realm transformation undertaken in New Zealand and was developed by a multi-disciplinary design team including design leadership and Landscape Architectural inputs from Opus, BDP, Boffa Miskell and LandLAB.
“Individual design packages were delivered by Opus (Takaro a Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground), Boffa Miskell (Victoria Square), LandLAB (Terraces Stage 1, North Frame Stage 1 and Arts Trail) and Rough and Milne (Antigua to Durham, Convention Centre, North Frame Stage 2 and Terraces Stage 2).”
Judges say the project involved a “phenomenal amount of people.”
The judges said the “hard landscape is technically strong, well-executed, and excellently crafted.“
They went on to say the prominence in the project of Māori design “contributes strongly to Christchurch’s journey out of the earthquakes and into a place which honours its history, celebrates diversity and foregrounds well-being.
“This extensive, well-coordinated, and expertly detailed park re-unites the city with its river, and is a worthy winner of the Urban category.”
You can see more about the project here and hear more from the judges in the video below.
