Kiwi Architect that understands Irony.
In the Weekend Dom Post, there’s an article about the building of the new Supreme Court in Wellington. Unfortunately I can’t provide a link, as it doesn’t seem to appear on the Stuff Website, so I’ll have to do this old fashioned way.
Apparently, in the midst of a recession, we needed to spend $80 million on a brand new building because it would have cost too much to refurbish the old building at $29 million. Because the refurb was supposed to cost “only” $11 million, and due to a budget blow out, it was decided to scrap that idea, and budget $65 million for a brand new building, which in the end cost the final $81 million. Only governments would think spending an extra $51million made economic sense.
And they wonder why so many of us find legal ways of paying them less tax to waste.
But that, oddly enough, isn’t the point of Irony.
This is what the old High Court Building looked like:
And the new building.
Now the irony:
The architect, Roy Wilson says that Open Justice was an important design feature.
“To allow justice to be done, and to be seen to be done”.
The top floor of the building has glass all the way round it, you see, so firmly grasps the concept of transparent justice – I get that.
But then – they stick a bronze arty-farty façade around the building (supposed to be “reminiscent” of Pohutakawas) – which effectively blocks off the glass windows, and hides justice. I guess they never thought of that.
Nor of the fact that planting a few real live Pohutakawas would not only have had a better effect, would actually look like Pohutakawas, be much more attractive than a butt-ugly bronze monstrosity, would be much more in keeping with “100% Pure” green credentials, and would have cost considerably less than $4.5 million in taxpayer dollars.
It must be so nice not to have to worry about where the money is coming from to pay for this stuff. Run out? Just take more in taxes!
I am at least grateful that the “demands” of the 5 (yes – just 5) judges that get to sit in this $80 million building for a rooftop garden was trounced.
There’s a bit of whinging because Prince William is going to open the building on Monday at a cost of $200,000. I think the fact that we have had to waste an extra $50 million in fulfilling the demands of 5 judges who wanted bigger offices is a much bigger worry personally.
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Comments
4 Comments on Kiwi Architect that understands Irony.
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Fran on
Mon, 18th Jan 2010 9:15 pm
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Avalon on
Wed, 20th Jan 2010 10:30 am
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Margaret on
Wed, 20th Jan 2010 5:09 pm
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Phil on
Thu, 21st Jan 2010 12:00 am
It’s completely hideous – no idea why they allowed it to be constructed. No doubt in 20 years time it will be hailed as an epic design but not in my eyes…. and to get William to open it given the significance of the building – the severing of links with the ‘mother country’ re the Privy council being the ex highest court in NZ – well what more could you say than 100% Pure Genius!!!!!
Glad im not the only one who thinks its butt ugly 
It looks like it still has scoaffolding up.
Agreed. The Supreme Court building is shockingly ugly, with that pretentious pohutukawa “tiara” embarrassment only emphasising its squat bunker-like proportions. How could anyone design such a thing and consider it in any way elegant or inspirational? Mind you is Te Papa really any better? Both buildings are a blots on the landscape, testaments to architectural aridity.
I still think, though, the grand prize for the ugliest building in all of human history must go to the George Pompidou Centre in Paris. It is unbelievably ghastly, an absolute insult to the beauty of the French capital.
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