“Community focused, architecturally inspired”
South Library / Te Kete Wānanga o Wai Mōkihi

The invitation for its fifth birthday celebrations said “Community focused, architecturally inspired” and this phrase perfectly sums up the award-winning South Library. Officially opened on 23 August, 2003, the library is a busy hub of the local community and its architecture, resources and café make it a destination for visitors from all over Christchurch. In 2007 – 2008 the library recorded 450,147 visitors.

A green machine

Green is a key word for the library with its award-winning environemtally-friendly architecture and dramatic colour scheme featuring green. Perhaps the most dramatic event in the building’s short life has been a ram raid featuring a stolen lime green Ford Falcon.

The library was designed by Architecture Warren and Mahoney and built by Mainzeal Property and Construction, with engineering provided by City Solutions. The striking and sustainable architecture was recognised with a number of awards including a supreme award in the 2004 New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards.

Awards

• NZ Institute of Architects Resene NZ Awards for Architecture-Community and Cultural category (March 2004); Colour Award (March 2004)
• Property Council of New Zealand Rider Hunt Building Awards 2004 – Merit Award, Education and Art category (March 2004)
• Glass Tech Glass Awards 2003 - Most Creative Use of Glass to Enhance a project – Highly commended
• NZ Institute of Architects – Supreme Award (May 2004)
  Supreme Award Citation:
  " This new community centre sits in a park setting, providing a gentle civic presence. The architects have integrated its many requirements with intelligence and spirit. Particularly noteworthy is the use of a shallow moat to collect rain water, control thermal conditions and act as a security barrier, allowing outdoor balconies. The strength of this socially-orientated building lies in its direct functional simplicity and the clarity of spaces. The light-filled structure is elegantly expressed and features an effective use of colour inside. This is an outstanding example of what a public building should be."

Key features of the sustainable design included:

• Water use: Rainwater from the roof collected and stored in the moat for use in the toilets and irrigation system, plus low flow plumbing fittings and waterless urinals.
• Materials selection: Timber sourced from certified renewable sources. Wherever possible non-toxic products were used along with durable materials like glass and zincalume to reduce the need for surface finishes.
• Waste minimisation: Preference for building materials with recycled content e.g. acoustic insulation from 100% recycled wool scraps and concrete with 75 per cent recycled content. Construction guided by waste management plan
• Site ecology: Planted drainage swales and retention ponds to help slow storm water runoff and filter pollutants. Minimal disturbance to the site and retention of existing trees.
• Building design: Strategic placement of high and low windows, glazing and concrete pads to facilitate heating and ventilation

Background to library

The library had its origins in the Spreydon and St Martins libraries. By the early 1990s Spreydon needed renewal and expansion and a new library was under consideration to replace the St Martin’s voluntary library. Both projects found difficulty – Spreydon in being able to redevelop on its existing site and St Martins in being able to purchase suitable land. At the Council meeting on 25 November 1999 the recommendation in the Strategy and Resources Report of 15 November, regarding Spreydon Library accommodation options, was replaced with the following resolution:

“It was resolved that a report be sought on the provision of a combined service centre/library for the South Christchurch area, which would obviate the need for major upgrading of the St Martins and Spreydon Libraries”.

The existing Beckenham Service Centre site and the adjoining council yard on Colombo Street was selected as a suitable site and recommended a combined library and service centre with addition of a purpose built learning centre.

Work on the site began in October 2002 when the contractors Mainzeal moved in. The Beckenham Service Centre had been relocated to temporary premises and the old building demolished. By mid January 2003 walls were starting to go up and by July the extensive glass walls were up enclosing the building fully.

Opening day on 23 August saw a large crowd surge in and fully embrace the library’s facilities of books, magazines, audiovisual. Computers, the games machines and the café were fully occupied.

Among the guests at the opening ceremony were Jim Genet, a volunteer for more than 40 years at the old Beckenham Volunteer Library, and Isla Hunter, whose family had owned the library/service centre site before selling it to the Council. Miss Hunter, aged in her nineties and Mr Genet, 85, helped the Mayor Garry Moore to cut the ribbon to declare the building open and Mr Genet had the honour of borrowing the first book.

Green Invaders

“Car stolen to ram designer library” screamed the Press headline over a dramatic photo of the stolen lime green Ultimate Car Wash company vehicle right inside the library at the end of a large trail of shattered glass and security gates. The Ford Falcon was reversed through the main doors at about 4.30am on Saturday, September 3, 2005.A second stolen car, a late-model silver Subaru station wagon, was also backed into the foyer and the thieves made off with two flat-screen televisions. Community librarian Justine Lester was quoted as saying the staff were upset and annoyed at the more than $20,000 damage caused by the robbers. She could not understand why they had smashed through the building just to take two television sets that were already two years old. Security footage of the robbers showed them heading directly for the TV sets.

Engage

Engage is the seven-piece sculpture by Graham Bennett which stands up to four metres tall and moves from outside the library to indoors. The sculpture was unveiled on 10 July, 2006. Polished stainless steel rods are topped with curved metal blades balanced with head-sized boulders from the upper reaches of the Waimakariri River.

Engage, Graham Bennett said, introduces a contrast in its curved forms and a human element to the otherwise severe, straight lines of the library’s architecture.

“The curves reflect those of the meandering Heathcote River at the library’s doorstep, the braided Waimakariri riverbed, on the floodplain of which Christchurch is built, and the backdrop of the undulating Port Hills.”

Learning centre

The South Learning Centre was opened by the Prime Minister Helen Clark on September 10, 2003. School children from south Christchurch schools interviewed Ms Clark to produce an electronic record of the day and she also joined in a video conference between Beckenham School pupils and a group from Papamoa School, near Tauranga. “I’m simply blown away by what school children are able to do with technology” she said.

The Learning Centre offers a school and community programmes utilising the facilities of The Lab, the Sydenham Room and the Video Conferencing Room. The Lab contains a networked computer suite of 31 computers, each with their own web camera, an inbuilt data projector and printer/scanner/photocopier.

The Sydenham Room is a meeting room holding up to 60 people and the Video Conferencing Room is a permanent room dedicated to live distant communication. Available equipment includes tablet PCs, digital cameras, video cameras, polycom sound station and overhead projector.

Community place

Among the many well used community features of the building is The Red Café, a popular meeting place for library customers and passers by. The council service centre provides information and other services and the facilities of the learning centre are used for a wide range of school and community classes and meeting.

In a typical week Citizens Advice Bureau volunteers held a training session and shared lunch, the regular coffee and computers drop in session took place, after school clubs Girlzone and Workshop Club attracted young people interested in computers and the Mayor, Bob Parker, held a session to meet local residents.
The interior walls are regularly hung with exhibitions including vibrant quilts from community groups. The library hosts a lively programme of events for preschoolers throughout the year and during school holidays there are lots of extra events.

The library is buzzing with activity seven days a week.

Photos from www.flickr.com

Sources

• South Library brochure
• South Library planning, construction & opening
• The Press, September 3, 2005 p A7
• The Press, September 10, 2003 p A4