Convention centre taking bookings
Bookings are already rolling in for Christchurch’s under construction convention centre, which is starting to take shape.
Two conferences have been announced for the space in 2021 – an international medical science conference for up to 1000 delegates, and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research biology symposium for 350 delegates. Others are in the pipeline.
The $475 million central city building is due to be finished in early 2020.
ChristchurchNZ tourism industry partnership manager Caroline Blanchfield said the convention centre had ‘‘unlocked the potential for Christchurch’’ by giving organisers the confidence to bring international conferences to other Christchurch venues. Three large conferences in 2019 and 2020 were booked for the Town Hall and Canterbury University on the subjects of learning environments, international wetlands, and opensource software.
The convention centre will span two blocks bounded by Armagh St, Oxford Tce, Cathedral Square and Colombo St. The project is being managed by Crown rebuild agency O¯ ta¯ karo and built by Australian construction company CPB Contractors.
Large bracing concrete walls are sprouting around the space for a 1400-seat auditorium, which will be able to be split in two by moveable partitions. Fourteen meeting rooms with capacity for 1400 people are being built on the north side of the building, facing Victoria Square. The space will be capable of hosting two conferences simultaneously with no cross-over.
The foyer and main entrance will face the Avon River, while administration and retail space will go on the Colombo St side of the building. Foundation work for the exhibition hall to the south is under way. O¯ ta¯karo is looking for developers for the hotel planned for the south of the site, near Cathedral Square.
O¯ ta¯karo chief executive Albert Brantley said it was an unusual build as a lot of concrete for the walls was being poured in place, rather than using pre-cast slabs, but it was the only way to make the building strong enough to handle quake movements.
The project was running ahead of schedule and under-budget so far, he said.