City Scene - November 2002: Sculpting new Gallery's skin

November 2002

Lead Stories

Leaky home moves

A celebration of Aranui

Reflections on peace

Sculpting new Gallery's skin

Wastewater plant 40

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Sculpting new Gallery's skin

By the numbers: James McArthur, company director for Christchurch firm JVM, hands glass panes to Floyd Penalo, who passes them up the chain to workmate Phillip Gibbs. Assembling the Gallery’s Sculpture Wall is careful work. “Every pane has an exact location in the wall,”
Mr McArthur says. “The glass isn’t square. It’s tapered; either it leans in or it leans out just as the leaves of the wall lean in or out. I measure the individual panes so that we lift them into position the right way up and our glaziers can fit them straight away. This job requires attention to detail. It’s more interesting than your usual shop-front work.”

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.

Open day: On Sunday, 1 December from 11am to 5pm, people have a chance to look around the almost completed Christchurch Art Gallery. Fitting out the Gallery will take place after this date. Entry is by gold coin donation, with the proceeds going toward fundraising efforts for the Christchurch Art Gallery project.