| 3 T T Richard Loader ‘Big Box’ to provide a unique space YMCA’s new Christchurch facility will provide a range of spaces for a very diverse array of users, from babies to the elderly, cutting across all genders, cultures, and needs. DEVELOPMENT YMCA Christchurch Prominently located opposite Christchurch’s iconic botanical gardens on the corner of Rolleston and Cashel Streets, the YMCA’s new facility currently under construction will provide a range of spaces for a very diverse array of users, from babies to the elderly, cutting across all genders, cultures, and needs. The location has been a key driver for what was built on the site, says Y Christchurch CEO Josie Ogden Schroeder. ‘The Board have a desire to activate more community engagement with the central city and provide facilities and services that are easy to get to from wherever in the greater Christchurch area people reside, particularly young people, older adults, and people with disabilities.” Designed by Architects New Zealand and embracing a total floor area of 4000 square metres over three levels, the new facility is internally referred to as the ‘big beautiful box’ by the delivery team, says Josie. “We know of no other building like it — one that includes spaces for learning, artistic creation, recreation, and wellbeing. It is a big beautiful box with a lot of architectural ingenuity that creates a sense of space and light within.” The spaces include a black-box theatre with capacity to seat 200 people theatre-style and will be available for hire. There will be a licensed early childhood centre for the children of Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury staff, and a fitness centre designed with older adults and people recovering from injury as the core users. It includes a fulltime elite dance training academy for young people, and a fulltime ‘second-chance’ education centre for young people looking to gain school leaving qualifications, confidence and employment skills. There will be a physiotherapy clinic with sports doctor/podiatry sub-tenants, meeting spaces for the wider community and spaces for a broad array of other Y-delivered programmes such as holiday programmes and youth development, youth leadership, mumsand-babies pre-natal and post-natal classes. Along with office/admin space for Y staff, volunteers and Board, hospitality spaces will include a café and bar. A key design feature is the façade across the Rolleston Ave frontage — large windows with fins that captures light without creating glare on the interior. “The design has been carefully considered to minimise operating expenses, so it’s highly energy efficient maximising the use of the natural ventilation, solar gain and loss,” explains Josie. “With so many different activities going on inside the building getting the acoustics right was another key design consideration. Also, an important part of the brief was that the building feels like a Y, which is about community. We didn’t want all the activities hidden behind walls; we wanted any visitor to the facility to be immersed in the vibrancy of the activities going on without it being overwhelming or too noisy. There has been a lot of effort put into getting this balance right.” Through the Matapopore Charitable Trust, Ngai Tahu have created a cultural narrative based on the story of Tāne Mahuta — God of the Forests and Birds. Tāne Mahuta is an inspirational figure in Māori mythology, and was felt to be fitting due to the location and the importance of the whenua to iwi, as well as the link to the Ys core purpose. “Tāne was an inspirational leader with character traits of determination, caring, responsibility and service to his community. The way the building has been arranged is built around these ideas. The ground floor is themed around the forest floor — groundedness, connecting; the middle floor is themed around the branches of the forest — action, creativity, participation; while the top floor is themed around the over-story of the forest – aspiration, learning.” The new $40 milion dollar facility is due for completion in September this year, and will be officially opened in October. Delighted to support YMCA Christchurch and to provide RMA Planning Services for this exciting project. Contact Graham Taylor 03 943 4112 or 027 231 5164
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