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Sculpting new Gallery's skin
Set to open in April next year, the Christchurch Art
Gallery is already becoming a landmark in the central city. The Gallery’s most significant design feature – the
Sculpture Wall facing Montreal Street – is taking shape and
defining the building. This undulating wall has six “leaves” of
tinted glass panels and steel columns orientated to catch
the sun. It is 75m long and 15m at its highest point. To give the impression of constantly changing light, the
glass panels graduate from a transparent grey tint at ground
level, through milky translucent to opaque. Installing the 2184 individual panes began on the section
closest to Worcester Boulevard. The main Gallery entrance will be on the Worcester
Boulevard/Montreal Street corner, but access will be also
possible through the leaves of the wall. This, together with
a series of curved reflecting pools of water which intersect
with and surround parts of the wall, is designed to provide
a smooth flow between the Gallery’s internal and external
areas. Another water feature will run the length of the external
Worcester Boulevard wall. At its highest point it will be
about 2.7m above the street. Water will well up and form
a 30m long solid beam of cascading water. Maori name gifted The Christchurch Art Gallery has been gifted a Maori
name — Te Puna o Waiwhetu (the wellspring of starreflecting
waters). Puna is a reference to the wellsprings
near the site, and Waiwhetu (water in which stars are
reflected) is a nearby tributary flowing into the Avon River. The Gallery’s formal name is Christchurch Art Gallery Te
Puna o Waiwhetu. |