Navigating history through design

Museums chart changes in society over time, but so can architecture. Kim Dungey reports on two buildings from different eras standing side-by-side in Port Chalmers.

It's not often that historic and modern architecture come together.

But that is what has happened in Port Chalmers, where a modern administration building has been wrapped around a heritage museum.

The Port Otago offices, completed last year, have a contemporary exterior fashioned from steel and glass.

The Port Chalmers Maritime Museum is a traditional stone building that has stood at the end of the town’s main street since 1877.

Linked by a glass extension and wide internal laneway, the two buildings are also connected in other ways.

Port Otago has just completed a refurbishment of the historic building after taking over ownership of it from the Port Chalmers Historical Society.

Designer Kieran Cooper said it was important when planning the new 2000sq m Port Otago building that the museum remained the focalpoint.

To achieve this, a minimalist approach was adopted — the lower two levels of the new building matched the proportions of the museum, while the upper level was set back and fully glazed to create a "lightness" to the elements that extended above.

Port Otago’s Jodi Taylor, who led the project, felt this was one of its biggest successes.

"If you come down George St, you can’t help but see the port and the big cranes, but you actually see the museum before you see the Port Otago building ... The museum is the hero."

Another highlight was a new elevated viewing space where members of the public could look out over the port, she said.

Before maritime security made the port a closed site, members of the public could wander around more freely.

"This is our way of making it a bit more open again."

As part of the three-year, $19.6 million project, the port’s old administration building, known as "the glass house", was demolished and a boat shed addition at the back of the museum was moved to Dunedin to become a terminal for smaller cruise vessels.

Earlier this week, museum volunteers were putting the finishing touches to displays, eager to see the doors opened for the first time in 18 months.

Committee member Shirley Jack joked she had become an artefact herself and was looking forward to getting her life back.

The category 1-listed building with internal stone walls had already been earthquake-strengthened by the historical society.

During the refurbishment, workers replaced the roof and spouting, relined internal walls, removed a mezzanine floor that could only be reached by stairs, re-glazed the light well, or lantern, in the main gallery and added a ramp to make the building fully accessible.

The museum displays were also refreshed with the help of museum consultants ObjectLab.

The collections detail the transition from sail- to steam-powered ships, the industries that once surrounded the port, the lives of early settlers and sources of conflict, such as the 1951 waterfront dispute and the Aramoana smelter proposal of the 1970s.

To make way for the builders, more than 25,000 photos and books had to be moved from the first floor to the ground floor, then back again.

Almost 12,500 other items were shuffled from room to room on the ground floor or put into temporary storage.

Some objects had been kept in boxes for years because the museum did not have enough space to display them or did not know how best to present them, Miss Jack said.

They included relics that now formed part of a display on local shipwrecks and model trains now housed in long Perspex boxes attached to one wall.

The glass extension and laneway — which provide an additional 390sq m of display space — contain a 5m-high "wall of ships" and a series of photos, artefacts and information based on each letter of the alphabet.

The Union Steam Ship Company shield displayed on one wall was the inspiration for the museum’s interior colour scheme.

Dubbed "the southern octopus", the company ran ships, airlines, a hotel, printing works and a coal business and was once New Zealand’s largest private sector employer.

The 5000 people who visit the museum annually come mainly from cruise ships. About 95 ships will call this season, the first due on Tuesday.

Originally the local post and telegraph office, the two-storey building included accommodation for the postmaster and his family.

The museum moved in in 1987 and still uses the original vault to store important documents.

Mr Cooper was appointed by Calder Stewart as part of its design and build team for the project. He said the structure was in reasonable condition, but the accessibility and visitor experience needed an update.

The idea of wrapping the new around the old was proposed by Port Otago and was a way to physically express the supporting role the new building played.

Meanwhile, the new glass extension to Beach St was designed to capture the interest of passersby and draw them in.

Materials used in the new "Port Otago Annexe" grounded the development in its surroundings, Mr Cooper said.

Corten steel reflected the corrosive atmosphere of the coastal environment, concrete referenced the industrial function of the port and repurposed wharf timber adorned the entrance.

In use since August last year, the building features open-plan offices, a large central kitchen and quiet zones where workers can rest between shifts.

There is also a drying room, where outdoor staff can hang wet clothing, and an area where ship crew who have been to town can wait to be escorted back to the wharves; before, they had to sit in a small gatehouse between the truck lanes.

GHD Design, which was responsible for the interior fit-out, aimed to create a bright, airy environment that was flexible and fostered teamwork, Mrs Taylor said.

"We’ve kept it very open so that everyone gets to enjoy the view and the natural light."

The building was a base for about 220 of the company’s 360 workers, including cargo handlers, administration staff and the port protection team, but could accommodate everyone for staff functions such as barbecues, she said.

CHECK IT OUT

The refurbished Port Chalmers Maritime Museum will open to the public from noon on Saturday, October 19.

To celebrate 150 years of operations on the Port Otago site, an open day will be held in Port Chalmers on Monday, October 28 (Labour Day) with bus tours, bouncy castles, fishing off the wharf, a behind-the-scenes look inside Port Otago, marine search and rescue demonstrations and crane and tug rides. 

To buy tickets, go to www.portotago.co.nz/about/open-day/