Collett’s Corner designs revealed
Three teams are finalists in a competition to design a landmark building on the former site of Lyttelton’s Empire Hotel.
Ohu Development, the organisation behind the Collett’s Corner project, held an exhibition at the XCHC on July 4 to choose from 31 entries submitted by architects and designers from across New Zealand.
A public vote, which received almost 2400 votes, was combined with the verdict of three judges to decide upon the three final designs.
Those finalists are Chance
by AHHA, The Hive by In-Flux, and We Dine Together by Oto Group.
The teams will present their designs for the space, on which Ohu plans to build a communityowned property including a public bath, hotel, cinema and retail areas, at an event in September.
The judges said it was ‘‘truly challenging’’ to pick between entries, deciding on the finalists for their ‘‘possibility for creating inviting places to gather’’.
‘‘We look forward to seeing how the finalists further develop their concepts to demonstrate how architecture creates places of belonging for the community in stage two of the competition,’’ the judges said.
Chance Encounters includes internal courtyards and laneways, encouraging ‘‘interwoven activities’’, while the over-sized The Hive aims to create a ‘‘civic presence’’ while reflecting ‘‘the grain of London St’’. The We Dine Together design hopes to maximise public spaces, turning them into an ‘‘extension of the community’’ while becoming part of Saturday’s market scene.
The designs will be presented and discussed at the event at the Lyttelton Arts Factory in September, to which tickets will be sold and proceeds donated to a local charity.
A further public vote will determine the final design.
The winner will get the commission and submit a fully developed design by February.