Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

COMMUNITY / CIVIC

• PROJECT

  Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

• CLIENT

  New Zealand Government

• CLIENT

  New Zealand Government

• LOCATION

  Wellington, New Zealand

• STATUS

  Completed

• AWARDS

  • NZ Building of the Decade, Architecture NZ readers poll, May/June 2000

  • Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Regional Award 1999

  • Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Branch Award 1999

Winner of an international design competition, this $120 million building has subsequently gone on to become highly acclaimed, attracting much international interest as one of the world’s challenging new museums featuring a high proportion of interpretative exhibits.

Pete Bossley, while Design Director at Jasmax, was the principal jointly in charge of the design and documentation.

The competition brief was extremely demanding; requiring a design which powerfully represented the total bi-cultural and national identity of New Zealand, the co-ordination of over 350 spaces and a building which was to have an expected minimum lifespan of 150 years. This latter required a structural design which took into account siting near a major geological fault line, and the protection of exhibits and occupants in exacting environmental conditions. The phenomenal public interest in the museum  attests to the success of the design and has led to  the expansion of gallery and public spaces. We have been engaged to design a variety of iterations, including cafes, new galleries and a staircase, expanded entry and masterplan options for future development.