2021 Nelson/Marlborough Architecture Awards Winner
Civic House (1983)
In a CBD more typically populated by bland commercial developments and tired older buildings, Civic House speaks a different language with character, honesty and a unique identity. The robustness of its late Brutalist forms may not win universal approval, but there is an integrity in its materiality that reveals a higher level of architectural consideration. There are moments of almost sculptural expression, most notably through the external structural grid, the deeply cantilevered mansard roofs and the off-form concrete clock tower. At six stories, the building’s scale and bulk is uncompromising, yet also idealistic, hinting at a future where Nelson grows beyond its provincial roots. Almost 40 years since it was constructed, Civic House continues to evoke strong emotions and remains as controversial today as when it was first conceived.
- Practice
- and Athfield Architects in association
- Category
- Enduring Architecture
- Location
- Nelson/Marlborough
