Main event
This multi-use venue converts traditional Maori and Pacific Island approaches to building into a contemporary structure
The name, TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, reflects the identity of this multi-use venue. However, incorporating distinctive elements of Maori and Pacific Island design into a building that makes use of structural surfaces as finishes was a complex undertaking.
Four years of planning preceded the design of this 2,500-seat indoor sports arena and 700-seat fully functional theatre, says Andrew Hill, project manager for Mainzeal Property & Construction.
The shape of the building, with an elliptical footprint and toroidal roof geometry, required a high degree of control to ensure the correct construction and fit of the design elements, he says.
"The main arena slab is a post tensioned 150mm single pour slab. Design solutions that support multi-use functionality include removable theatre seats, easily adjustable handrail height and pivoting arena seats that create a banquet hall," says Hill.
The most striking feature is the main roof truss. Others are the curved main roof, consisting of longrun roofing over ply, and inclined precast wall panels that feature intricate Pacific Island designs.
A Pou Kapua, which took three years to carve from a 2000-year-old swamp kauri, has been erected on the site.
For more information, contact Mainzeal Property & Construction, phone (09) 375 2100. Website: www.mainzeal.co.nz.
Story by: Trendsideas
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