The Supreme Court of New Zealand in Wellington, which features extensive use of timber, has won the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Structural Award in the heritage category.
The award, presented to structural and civil engineer Holmes Consulting Group at a ceremony in London, recognised the structural engineering of the new building and seismic protection of the old High Court building, which was completed in 1881.
The building was inspired by native plants of New Zealand and makes use of local and sustainable materials throughout its construction.
The ovoid-shaped courthouse has been constructed as a building within a building. The exterior is clad in copper, while the interior features 2,294 panels of silver beech timber, with varying surfaces for differing acoustic requirements.
A library, administration areas and judges’ chambers are positioned around the perimeter of the building, with a large void between these areas and the centrally-placed courtroom.
The interior design of these spaces was strongly influenced by the need for library and book storage, with almost 2.5km of shelving in the building. All walls of the upper circulation space are lined with bookshelves and the judges’ chambers are also extensively fitted with built-in joinery.
Solar thermal panels provide hot water for the building, while energy consumption is minimised with double-glazed windows, energy-efficient lighting and air quality control systems. All the native wood used in the Supreme Court was sourced from sustainable sources.
The existing old High Court building, which had fallen into disrepair after being vacant for 14 years, was extensively restored to provide an additional courtroom and ancillary administration areas.
Key features of the interior that have been fully restored include historically significant wood panelling, the double staircase to the gallery, and the judge’s bench and canopy.
“It was fantastic to be part of this unique and complex project,” said Holmes project manager Eva Cuttriss. “The two discrete parts of this project each required careful attention to detail to achieve such a high degree of finish. This award recognises the hard work by our design team to ensure the heritage features of the Old High Court building have been maintained whilst ensuring the seismic protection of the building for future generations.”
