Doors thrown open to city’s architectural gems

Monday, 6 May 2024

Visitors check out the old Law Courts building on Durham Street during Open Christchurch.

Architecture enthusiasts keenly took up their annual opportunity to peek into some of Christchurch’s finest buildings at the weekend.

As part of the Open Christchurch architecture festival, members of the public had the chance to visit 50 buildings - a mixture of churches, homes, office buildings, schools, and other public and private buildings and spaces.

Lectures, workshops and guided walks were also on offer, including tours for those with vision and hearing impairments, and a central city architecture treasure hunt for children.

Christ Church Cathedral, pictured last month, was among the buildings opened up to the public at the weekend. Tours of the cathedral were sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale.

The event is organised each year by Te Pūtahi - the Centre for Architecture and City-Making. Director Jessica Halliday said the festival was “a chance to encounter the city through architecture and designed spaces”.

Halliday said they were “overwhelmed by the positive response” of those who visited.

A few thousand people took part, she said.

Fonua Mana Tongan church in Wigram was part of the festival.

Among buildings on show were a few still under construction - the Court Theatre, the Youth Hub, and Ōtakaro Orchard.

Recently completed buildings that were open included Marian College and Fonua Mana Tongan Church in Wigram, and intergenerational housing at the Rāpaki papakāinga.

Old favourites included the Observatory Hotel at the Arts Centre, and Canterbury University hall of residence College House.

Tickets to see many of the buildings sold out.

“People have poured across the city - discovering places and meeting communities they don’t necessarily get to visit on a regular weekend,” Halliday said.