The Influencers: John Bridgman
So much of central Christchurch has a shiny new face, meaning opportunities to rejuvenate buildings with historic charm are now relatively rare. But on 13 August we’ll be taking to auction the illustrious Odeon Theatre and neighbouring Lawrie and Wilson building in a heritage offering like no other. The Odeon’s white stone street frontage, entry […]
The Influencers: John Bridgman
Construction is back up and running at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre after a shutdown during the COVID-19 restriction period. Work kicked off again at Level 3 with a smaller team and strict social distancing requirements, and as we return to the city it is brilliant to see how quickly the building façade […]
The Influencers: John Bridgman
Between Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and the Metro Sports Facility alone, Ōtākaro has been pumping around $15m a month into the construction sector, on behalf of the Government. Pre-lockdown, around 600 people were active across both sites and we’re continually working to get back to that level, while maintaining safe working distances. When […]
The Influencers: John Bridgman
On a recent Saturday morning, walking to the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial service, I was struck by the importance of ‘people spaces’ to our central city. A space like Worcester Boulevard, which existed before the quakes, connects the river and city centre at one end with the Christchurch Art Gallery, Museum, Botanic Gardens and the Arts […]
The Influencers: John Bridgman
We recently completed the first quarter of Christchurch’s biggest jigsaw puzzle, which at first may not seem like a major achievement but it has 43,000 pieces! The façade on Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is a significant feat of architecture and engineering. Each of the fibre cement tiles is placed individually on a panel in […]
The Influencers: John Bridgman
It’s not just the number of seats in the auditorium that the organisers of international conventions look at when selecting their next venue in a globally competitive sector. Transport, hospitality and quality of accommodation are also crucial in the decision-making process. So, it’s great for Christchurch that Ōtākaro recently secured a development agreement with the […]
The Influencers: John Bridgman
Not only is our Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Precinct project the largest urban transformation ever undertaken in New Zealand, but now it has also been deemed this year’s best, winning the prestigious George Malcolm Award for supreme excellence at the 2019 New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards. The Avon River Precinct includes […]
John Bridgman: The Influencers
Many of us have spent much of the past few weeks staring at rugby fields as the World Cup rolls on. Put two of these fields side by side and you’ve got an area similar to that covered by the Metro Sports Facility, which we currently have under construction. We’re now into the thick […]
John Bridgman: The Influencers
No sooner had we started construction on the Metro Sports Facility that the questions started coming in about car parking. It’s great that people are so excited about the facility, so let’s take this opportunity to look at what lies outside of the building. A significant portion of the site is being made available […]
John Bridgman: The Influencers
We’ve delivered roads, parks, laneways, a promenade and we have two of the largest buildings in the city under construction – Te Pae and the Metro Sports facility. But later this year Ōtākaro will take on a new type of project with the North Frame pedestrian bridge. The 32-metre-long, four-metre-wide bridge will connect Cambridge […]
