Sir Howard Morrison Centre
The Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre began its life as Rotorua’s Municipal Building in 1938, on land gifted by Ngāti Whakaue. Heritage listed in 1994 and deemed earthquake prone in 2017, its refurbishment reflects Rotorua’s identity while being sympathetic to the building heritage, Ngāti Whakaue and Sir Howard Morrison’s legacy.
The brief demanded a truly aspirational venue, with the design response requiring a paradigm shift in thinking to meet the building’s potential as a benchmark performing arts centre.
In partnership with Shand Shelton
Clients: Rotorua District Council
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Built: 2022
Builder: Hawkins
Images: Stephen BarkerThe new foyer is glazed, supplemented with aluminium elements to create a deliberate juxtaposition between contemporary and traditional materials to delineate the modern from heritage.
Exposed engineered timber roof framing extends through the foyer façade, seamlessly linking the exterior and interior environment. Timber is strategically used throughout to promote points of interest. Traditional Te Arawa and Ngāti Whakaue design ideologies have been woven into the building by local Ngāti Whakuae artist and designer Henriata Nicholas, who provided design guidance as well as bespoke cultural works for integration into the building’s architectural and aesthetic language.
The new foyer re-establishes the Spanish Mission heritage wings, balancing the façade, creating a sympathetic presence within the immediate urban landscape. The contemporary foyer represents an integrated cultural design, reflecting mana whenua status and connections, imbuing an offering of embrace, and welcoming to its patrons and performers alike.
The Sir Howard Morrison Centre provides Rotorua with a nationally significant, contemporary performing arts venue at the heart of Te‐Ika‐a‐Māui ‐ a place to be proud of, to gather together and celebrate; one that gives real meaning to the gift of Ngāti Whakaue. The buildings heritage façade has been re-established, with the building whole now infused with cultural representation appropriate of the site and the greater Rotorua region. The project’s success in this aspect, as well as its prominence as a public building, looks to encourage further collaboration with mana whenua for future projects within the region to continue the promise of Rotorua’s Vision 2030 and Wood First Policies to create uniquely Rotorua experiences.
Project Details
Year Built: 2022
Location: Rotorua
Architect: First Light Studio
Builder: Hawkins
Photography: Stephen Barker
Architectural design in collaboration with Shand Shelton
Conservation architect - Ian Bowman
Creative Arts consultant - Henriata Nicholas of Moko-ia Creative House
Structural engineer - Dunning Thornton
Theatre consultancy - Shand Shelton
Mechanical & transportation engineer - Panton Consulting
Electrical engineer - Cosgroves
Fire engineer - Nelligen Consulting
Acoustic engineer - Marshall Day
Quantity surveyor - Rider Levett Bucknall
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Judges Citation: “The Sir Howard Morrison Centre is a cultural hub, the puumanawatanga (beating heart) where Māori and Pakeha culture, manaakitanga and toi whakaari are woven together. The original Municipal Building (1938), with Spanish Mission influences, served as Rotorua’s civic centre and was converted into a Convention Centre in 1995. It became a performing arts venue in 2014, then closed to the public in 2017 for earthquake strengthening and refurbishing. The brief required a focus on venue flexibility, heritage of the building and Ngāti Whakaue, and Sir Howard Morrison’s legacy. The solution involved peeling back the 1995 addition, revealing the original heritage wings, and inserting a standalone foyer structure enriched with Te Arawa/Ngāti Whakaue design ideologies. A challenging collaborative project, meticulously considered and masterly crafted.”
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Judges Citation: The Sir Howard Morrison Centre has been home to some of Rotorua's most exciting, diverse, and cultural art performances. Originally built in 1938, it is listed as a Category 1 heritage structure. Since the completion of the project, the Centre now has a chain-driven orchestra lift platform and an increased capacity across all theatres. Following a seismic assessment where the Centre received an New Building Standard (NBS) of 10%, it was shut down and fenced off. It now has an NBS rating of 70%. The biggest challenge was the ground conditions due to the geothermal environment and the risk of hydrogen sulphide, along with the construction sequence. This was planned meticulously, with 40% of the building being dismantled, while at the same time, strengthening work was being done on the remainder of the building. The Sir Howard Morrison Centre will continue to be used for performing arts and other significant regional events, it is expected to help generate $50 million annually for the Rotorua local economy.
