Aotea Square redevelopment

Breathing new life into Aotea Square | Proposed design features | Art works in Aotea Square | Project background

Breathing new life into Aotea Square

Aotea Square - Auckland's civic and cultural heart - is getting a new lease of life.

Essential repairs to the Civic car park, underneath the square provide the ideal opportunity for Auckland City Council to revitalise Aotea Square.

Flanked by the Aotea Centre, the historic Auckland Town Hall and other civic and commercial buildings, the square is the place Aucklanders gather to celebrate and commemorate.

Since opening in 1979 Aotea Square has hosted events large and small - from victory parades and rock concerts to protest rallies and busking festivals.

It's also a favourite spot for city workers, residents, shoppers, students and tourists to relax and enjoy the ambience.

But after nearly 30 years of constant use, Aotea Square is showing its age. The roof of the Civic car park, which runs underneath the square, has structural damage and needs repairing.

A new car park roof will be installed over the existing one, which means all the landscaping in the square must be removed - including the trees, paving, soil and art works like Mountain Fountain.

Strengthening the car park roof means Aotea Square can once again host major events for crowds of 20,000 or more, such as concerts and big-screen coverage of the Rugby World Cup.

The Aotea Square redevelopment project involves:

strengthening and waterproofing the Civic car park roof ($45 million)
upgrading Aotea Square ($25 million)
altering the front of the Aotea Centre ($10 million)

The final costs will be confirmed once a contractor has been appointed.

Work is due to start in November 2008 and finish in October 2010.

The car park repair details and Aotea Centre alterations have already been confirmed. The Aotea Centre entrance will be made more welcoming, with centred front steps and a new box office and café.

The Aotea Square draft design was developed by landscape designers Ted Smyth and Associates, with input from other leading urban designers, technical experts and several stakeholder groups. The draft design was open to public consultation from 10 July to 1 August 2008.

It proposes several features to enhance Aotea Square and give it a fresh, contemporary look to suit Auckland's leading civic open space. Key benefits include:

more staging options for outdoor events
better sightlines for big crowds
better use of the available space
improved accessibility and safety
design elements reflecting Aotea Square's character
a public space that all ages can enjoy.

The $25 million allocated to upgrade Aotea Square includes new planting, paving, lighting and seating. It does not extend to water features, new art works or mature trees.

The Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, Civic car park, Civic Administration Building and SkyCity Metro will stay open during the redevelopment. The Edge® will continue to run events at the Aotea Centre and other venues.

The project is a key step in enhancing Aotea Quarter as the city's civic core, cultural heart, and arts and entertainment hub. It is also part of the council's 10-year CBD Into the Future strategy and the draft design is future-proofed for a possible convention centre development at Aotea Square.

Updated August 2008