Performing Arts Precinct - Court Theatre

A initial phase delivered which wraps around Ōtautahi - Christchurch’s new Court Theatre, with the remainder of the Performing Arts Precinct to be developed in the future. The public spaces are designed to embed cultural narratives and provide flexible spaces that accommodate a wide range of performing arts activities alongside those within the surrounding theatre buildings.

Across the precinct, the public space is designed for both formal and informal performances to unfold at any time. Surprise and fun are central, including benches with six ‘hidden’ panels integrated into the tops which ding different toned musical bells when stood on. The cultural narrative of kaikaranga, collaboratively developed with Matapopore, ‘calls’ visitors into the plaza via the laneways. The digital ‘sound wave’ of a sung karanga is captured in the colours and textures of the paving design. Manu (birdlife) is celebrated through selective plantings, and the colours of various birds feathers are vibrantly expressed in the benches and decking.