It offers new grounds of play for the city of Wellington. Imagined as an extension of the park, it reconnects earth, sky and sea and strengthens the city and water edges of the precinct. A sophisticated ensemble of buildings, landscapes and site infrastructure the proposal forms a new ecology that supports events, people and place in a balanced relationship. It demonstrates how a landmark project may use architecture and landscape to contribute to the larger sustainable future of our cities.

The water edge comprises of our lyrical folded ground/trafficable roof rising up from Waitangi Park to form a view corridor to the Tararua Mountains, framing the harbour and creating an urban promontory. Underneath are cafes, restaurants, fish market and deli protected by a partly perforated roof to provide sheltered and sunlit spaces alongside the historic sea walls.

The City Edge site is most dramatically defined by the contemporary art gallery building, a robust timber framed structure referencing local construction methods and marine structures. In combination with the chinese garden it is exemplary of contemporary environmental design.

The proposal is testament to Tasman Workshops’ capability to exploit a multi-disciplinary approach towards the intelligent and strategic design of the built environment from masterplan through to architecture and landscape and site infrastructure.