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new home for Christchurch venue
Haworth Tompkins are working with The Court Theatre and Christchurch City Council on a new venue in the city’s Performing Arts Precinct. Haworth Tompkins led the project from concept design before handing over to New Zealand-based practice Athfield Architects during preliminary design. Now at the end of detailed design, the project has been a collaboration with Athfield throughout.
The three-storey building will make use of natural materials, ventilation and light. It will house two auditoriums; a 365-seat main playhouse, and a 130-seat studio theatre, where children’s and family shows can be held. All aspects of a working theatre, including set-building, costume-making, rehearsals and administration, will be based on site, with plans to make these usually back-stage activities more visible to the public.
The team are also working on the design for public space in the Performing Arts Precinct. A series of laneways will draw people to a central courtyard, which will be used for a range of outdoor performances. Construction is expected to begin in 2022 and the theatre is due to open in 2024.
Construction is expected to begin in 2022 and the theatre is due to open in 2024.
