Date: December 22nd, 2011

Civic Square design competition gathers interest from around the world

Hastings District Council’s search for innovative ideas for the redevelopment of Civic Square has sparked interest from the design community from around the world.

Over 130 registrations of interest have been received from design professionals, after they were offered the chance to enter the idea generation competition last month. Registrations have been received from practicing professional designers and students from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the United States and Asia.

Deputy Mayor Cynthia Bowers says “The designs will need to be based on eleven broad themes which will further strengthen our arts, culture and heritage and include the existing services and experiences offered by the Hastings District Library and Hastings City Art Gallery. They must also enhance the square’s open space to make it safe and attractive to the community”

“It is pleasing that designers from around the world are showing an interest in this project and it is also gratifying to see the number of registrations from Hawke’s Bay based designers. The competition has become an exciting way to raise the profile of the project and we are confident that this will result in some unique and pioneering ideas being put forward,” Cynthia Bowers says.

“We look forward to reviewing the design ideas for Civic Square in the New Year, and we are sure that the submissions will ignite interest and enthusiasm from all residents.”

The designs will be assessed by a panel which includes:

Jacob Scott HB creative community

Georgina Thow HB landscape architect

Tama Huata Mana whenua

Margaret Twigg (Councillor) Hastings District Council

Cynthia Bowers (Councillor) Hastings District Council

Professor Andrew Barry NZIA Auckland University

Kerstin Thompson AIA Victoria University

Registrations for the competition close on January 14th, 2012 and then the assessment panel will begin its deliberations. The top three designs plus the top student design will then be considered by Council, and if agreed, will be released for public consultation as part of the draft 2012/22 Long Term Plan, in late March 2012.

The announcement of the preferred design will be made in late June. Funding for the project remains conditional on the public consultation process and its inclusion in the final 2012/22 LTP.

Design professionals are still able to download a copy of the competition brief from: www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/files/all/documents/civicsquare/brief.pdf

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