Innovative Library Spaces

Te Ara Ātea 
Architect: Warren and Mahoney
Te Ara Ātea is a rich cultural and community facility in Rolleston, developed in partnership with Te Taumutu Rūnanga, with a fully integrated contemporary public library experience, bookable spaces, and significant museum and contemporary art exhibitions.

Tūranga Christchurch Central Library
Architect: Architectus

Tūranga fosters life-long learning and is the place for information, inspiration and entertainment. At nearly 10,000 square metres, Tūranga is the largest public library in the South Island and the flagship for the Christchurch City Libraries network, supporting 19 community, digital, and mobile libraries.  In partnership with Matapopore Trust, the cultural design engagement organisation for Ngāi Tūāhuriri, a multi-layered and intricate bicultural design response was developed and as a result, the design addresses ‘the local’ as a key functional and aesthetic driver.  The whakapapa of Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Ngāi Tahu is embedded in the form and fabric of the building. Mātauranga mana whenua has been integrated to create a unique bicultural interpretation of a ‘storehouse of knowledge’.  The building is a beacon, creating a vibrant edge to Cathedral Square and a dialogue between the civic space of the Square and the activities within the library, particularly the key public space of the Community Arena.  The project responds to the changing role of libraries in today’s environment, the local context and international trends in library design. The library provides a social hub for the community to access and share knowledge through a range of media, in a building which is welcoming, diverse and representative of the community it serves.