A return to splendour

From BlackWhite magazine - issue 09, gold standard

Rotorua raises the curtain on a sympathetic refurbishment that brings new pride to a historical gem.

For many cities and towns around the country, the local theatre is often counted among their most cherished buildings. Not only have these structures served as the pinnacle of the community’s culture, but many boast iconic heritage features that infuse the municipality’s core with unique character. But as times have changed, so too has the entertainment industry. At the same time that technological advancements have altered the landscape of what’s possible to accomplish on a stage, in-person performances are forced to compete for audiences against many activities that didn’t exist at the time these buildings were constructed. Often, part of protecting these heritage assets is making sure that they can continue to hold value and relevancy for the community apart from their aesthetics alone. Rather than simply serving as a shrine to the past, it’s become increasingly important to find ways to activate these venues beyond their original intentions to meet the evolving needs of the community.

Built in 1938 on land gifted by Ngāti Whakaue, the Sir Howard Morrison Centre (SHMC) has taken on a number of forms during its storied existence. It started out as Rotorua’s Municipal Building and served as the city’s civic centre before the complex was converted into a convention centre in 1995. Just a year prior, the building was officially listed as a Category 1 historic place. However, Heritage New Zealand rejected the disappointing results of the convention centre renovation after many of the facility’s most exemplary heritage elements were obfuscated. In 2014, Rotorua Lakes Council began charting a new course for the complex – one that would see it transform into a performing arts venue for the community that pays homage to Sir Howard Morrison’s legacy. But three short years later, they were forced to shutter it to the public after the infrastructure was deemed earthquake prone.

Re-strengthening is a complex, years-long endeavour full of unexpected surprises, but the Council also recognised that undertaking the process offered unique opportunities to reinvent the facility if the right approach was taken. In addition to increasing the overall building strength to 67%+ NBS at IL3, they sought to increase the venue’s flexibility and refurbish four key performance spaces: the civic theatre, the concert chamber, the banquet room and the foyer. They also seized the chance for this new iteration to better reflect Rotorua’s identity, increase its connection to Ngāti Whakaue and Sir Howard Morrison’s legacy while also being sympathetic to the building’s heritage. To do these goals justice, they knew they needed the right team.

The project became the first collaboration between Shand Shelton and First Light Studio, where both firms contributed to the design direction. Shand Shelton was already armed with intimate knowledge of the project after previously working with the Rotorua Lakes Council during the rebuilding of the stagehouse in 2010. As the Lead Design Consultant, they developed the plans and coordinated input from the other project consultants, provided the architectural specifications and oversaw the construction phase while First Light Studio provided design input and the architectural drawing documentation for the Building Consent. As the project’s Theatre Systems Consultant, Shand Shelton also headed up the theatrical systems infrastructure and design as well as its procurement and construction monitoring.

Architect Eli Nuttall, who served as the project lead for First Light Studio, says his team was proud to be able to bring their fresh perspective to the project. “We have a passion for storytelling that is born out of experience with international competitions and a commitment to working with mana whenua to realise a building that is truly of its place and people.”

With remedial heritage restorations, peeling back layers of history to remove past alterations that have either aged poorly or simply don’t align with the heritage or contemporary values of the structure can prove to be especially tricky. For the design team, creating a modern performance centre within the limitations of the existing building proved challenging. “A difficult balance had to be struck between restoring the heritage features of the original building, strengthening it to modern standards, unpicking a lifetime of outdated renovations and working to a limited budget all while creating acoustically-enriched spaces with all the technological features expected of a modern performing arts centre,” says Eli.

The design team also aimed to undo the disservice that had been done to the building’s heritage during the convention centre alterations. “Any interventions, structural or otherwise, were done to ensure the building’s heritage value was upheld,” says Shand Shelton’s Mitchell Burrows. “This, in conjunction with the 1995 additions, presented complications in both the design and construction. Overlaying this was that the land on which the SHMC is built was a gift from Ngāti Whakaue for the development of the city. However, the legacy of Ngāti Whakaue’s whakapapa, tupuna and its people that live within the district, are not largely reflected in this part of the city, which is predominantly comprised of euro-centric influences.”

Balancing the conditions of preserving the building’s Spanish Mission design elements and other euro-centric physical heritage values while acknowledging the cultural significance of the land resulted in a clever solution. By removing the 1995 addition, the original Spanish Mission heritage wings were revealed while a standalone foyer structure enriched with Te Arawa and Ngāti Whakaue design ideologies was added. The heritage wings were replanned to accommodate performance flexibility and additional amenities, including bar, ticketing and studio spaces as well as back-of-house facilities. The performance spaces were refurbished in their entirety, complete with increased seating capacities, supported by an overhaul of the theatrical systems infrastructure, allowing these spaces to accommodate a vast variety of performance types.

“The foyer structure needed to be independent of the heritage wings on either side to provide a sense of strength, standing strong on whenua, while embracing people as they entered and experienced the space. Some key design principles that were incorporated were the expression of the exposed internal rafters of the structure, which depict a whare, with the external suspended truss representing a waharoa prior to entering the building. It was also important to preserve a clear line of sight from the upper foyer level back toward the entrance, as well as to make provision for a whare manaaki, a place to host and perform. This is supported by a full suite of theatrical services, enabling the foyer to become a performance space in its own right,” explains Mitchell.

“Traditional Te Arawa and Ngāti Whakaue design ideologies were woven into the building by local Ngāti Whakaue artist and designer Henriata Nicholas. As author of the project’s Kaupapa Kōrero, Henriata provided design guidance and bespoke cultural works for integration into the building’s architectural and aesthetic language including the taaniko patterning used in the custom seating fabric, arrangement and layout of the plank flooring in traditional raranga whāriki patterning, the mangopare design applied to the concert chamber lobbies and foyer glass frontage as well as the puhoro patterning and design applied to the foyer glass frontage.”

With certain heritage projects, colour selections may be constrained by the original scheme, but SHMC offered unique opportunities. “As the complex has had a number of alterations over its lifetime, the quantity of spaces or elements that contributed to the building’s current-day heritage values were limited, providing a greater level of flexibility in colour selection from a heritage perspective,” explains Mitchell. “However, the Resene colour selections also needed to consider and support the integration of cultural aspects and theatrical performance criteria, which included the foyer space. With these aspects in mind, there was arguably less freedom in the colour selections themselves, but more importance placed on the colour scheme as a whole to perform at a number of levels.”

Rotorua’s geothermal environment also necessitated special consideration be paid towards rising hydrogen sulphide during all phases of the design and construction. This impacted all aspects of the project, including excavation, structural design methods, services reticulation, product and material specifications and finishes – including the paints, stains and clear coatings. The original paint coatings already on the pumice concrete heritage façade contained asbestos, which required a highly controlled and iterative approach to the removal and plaster remediation methodology. Following removal, the existing walls had to be re-rendered in solid plaster, retaining all the original bespoke decorative plaster mouldings with colour selections carefully and appropriately apportioned to highlight the original heritage features.

Mitchell says the design team relied on Resene products for their performance and to provide a shared language to connect the different spaces throughout the complex. “Performance was key, both in terms of paint product selection as well as colour selection when considering the complex criteria of the environmental conditions such as building use, operational and maintenance needs, hydrogen sulphide considerations and to meet the requirements for theatrical productions. This guided our product specification and sheen level selections to ensure that the reflectance values were appropriate for performance use. In the case of the timber finishes and high-touch surfaces like handrails, our Resene selections made it possible to meet the project’s durability requirements while maintaining a low sheen finish that fell within the recommended reflectance value guidelines.

“Secondly, our Resene colour selections served as a communicative tool that provides a connective thread between the quartet of performance spaces,” Mitchell continues. “The colour selections acknowledge that each individual performance space is designed to cater to different types of performances as well as a myriad of other functions, amenities and criteria. However, cohesion was also a fundamental goal to provide a global identity for the complex. This was achieved through the use of warm red and violet tones that are found in every space, such as the use of Resene Rustic Red applied to the concert chamber ceiling and acoustic panel batten details, the custom red-toned Resene purple walls in the civic theatre and the use of Resene Havana on the key egress doors throughout the complex.”

The design team used their in-house collection of Resene colour swatches, fandecks and digital rendering tools to finalise the selections. “As always, our Resene Representative went above and beyond and was very helpful throughout the specification process with the provision of colour swatches and production of custom colours,” adds Mitchell.

He says the custom Resene purple created for the main auditorium stands out as his favourite. “Resene Aubergine and Resene Zeppelin were mixed together to produce this custom hue which provided the perfect equilibrium of depth of colour, light balance and richness. This colour’s warm red undertones complement the surrounding material selections in the carpet tiles, seating fabric and stained timber reflectors. Finally, the colour also performs under both pre-performance and in-performance theatrical conditions, providing a rich and experiential atmosphere when the house lights are on then appearing to fade to almost black once the performance starts, allowing for a fully-immersive relationship between the audience and performer.”

Timber design elements are also a noticeable feature throughout the venue’s various spaces and their incorporation goes beyond attractive aesthetics. “The timber finishes extend to feature elements within the civic theatre and concert chamber spaces in the form of angled plywood acoustic reflectors stained in Resene Colorwood Ebony, which are designed to provide secondary sound bounces to audience members. Within the concert chamber, changes in the reflector panel angles are delineated by painted timber battens, finished in Resene Rustic Red, emphasising the rhythm of the panelling. The same battens lead up to link the ceiling, which is also painted in Resene Rustic Red, providing relief to the darker Resene Colorwood Ebony timber stains and Resene Bokara Grey colour tones below,” says Mitchell.

In order to develop the custom colour used on the civic theatre walls, several different custom samples were mixed in differing ratios of Resene Aubergine and Resene Zeppelin, which were selected for their colour depth and richness. The final custom colour, which the team dubbed ‘Resene Film Festival Purple’, consists of 75% Resene Aubergine and 25% Resene Zeppelin. Not only did this custom colour meet the requirements for reflectivity values and light balance, ensuring it would perform under actual theatre conditions, but it also presented the best in combination with the greater colour scheme. The ceiling colour, Resene Crossroads, performs as a counterbalance to the coordinated floor and seating colours to round out the palette.

For Eli, working with iwi to create a narrative that holistically guided the centre’s design is what made the project particularly memorable. The form, materials, colours and motifs depicted in the foyer space are among its most successful elements. Out of the many striking Resene colours specified, the Resene Rustic Red used in the concert chamber ended up being his favourite. “The rich red of the auditorium ceiling works together with the upholstery and flooring to wrap around you like a warm blanket. It really does feel like you’re in the beating heart of the SHMC,” he says.

Hawkins Project Manager Leon Green says it was the unknown condition of the original 1938 structure that understandably presented the biggest challenge during the build but that effective team work and dynamic solutions as construction progressed made it a success. “Hawkins is very proud of the finished space, and for me personally, my favourite space would be the Sir Owen Glenn Theatre due to the outstanding work that went into the orchestra pit, acoustic reflectors, lighting bridges and rear circle alterations. I also love the main foyer and Black Box Theatre.”

“The entire wider team displayed an absolute commitment to delivering this project, which was clear due to the lasting relationship that was built with the design team off the back of our collaboration. I would absolutely do another project with the same team,” Leon adds.

Mitchell agrees that the entire project team has much to be proud of. “The overall replanning of the complex – an aspect which largely did not alter from the very beginning of the project – successfully converted a conference centre with limited production capability into a nationally significant, multifunctional performing arts centre, complete with a quartet of performance spaces equipped for simultaneous use. It also preserved the building’s history while honouring the significance of the land it’s sited on through the new central foyer space, which is reflective of mana whenua and connections and, in turn, re-established the heritage façade.”

Eli seconded these sentiments. “The successful completion of the SHMC is a testament to the commitment, endurance and genuine care for the city and its people shown by the entire project team: Council, iwi, consultants, contractors and – in particular – Shand Shelton, who led the consultant team for the duration of the project.”

Shand Shelton's top tips:

Choosing colours for performance spaces and projects and spaces that support the performing arts provides an opportunity to be just as creative or as bold as the performances they host, as the use of colour can deliver an experiential atmosphere or a unique sense of occasion. It’s also a balancing act, viewed through the lens of both patron and performer, to ensure that this relationship is both uninterrupted and enhanced throughout the performance.

Performance spaces are specialist areas that have specific theatrical performance requirements and are highly demanding of their finished surfaces. This applies to both sides of the proscenium arch. If you are unsure if a product meets the demands of a theatrical space, allow for applicator control samples and perform thorough testing to manage expectations and ensure a satisfactory result prior to committing to final application.

The application of Resene Uracryl 404 clear low sheen as a finishing coat over the Resene FX Metallic range of colours produces all the texture, variation and richness of a metallic coating without too much sparkle, allowing its strategic use in spaces that require a low-level of light reflectivity.

› To learn more about the Sir Howard Morrison Centre and the venue’s upcoming programming, visit www.sirhowardmorrisoncentre.co.nz.

Colours mentioned in this article...

Products mentioned in this article...

Design: Shand Shelton, First Light Studio
Build: Hawkins
Painting: Holmac New Zealand
Creative arts consultant: Moko-ia Creative House
Images: Matt Hunt, Stephen Barker

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