The courthouse theater was completed after the Christchurch earthquake

Architectural studios Haworth Tompkins and Athfield Architects completed the New Zealand courthouse theatre, covered in wooden benches and large windows that create connections between the public areas and the back of the house.

The completion of the 3,700 square meter center marks the return of the Court Theater to the heart of Christchurch, after having to temporarily relocate to the suburbs following the city's devastating 2011 earthquake.

Haworth Tompkins and Athfield Architects have completed the Court Theater in Christchurch

The building houses all the theater's production facilities under one roof, and has a 350-seat main auditorium and a 150-seat studio along with costume and prop design workshops, lighting and sound, educational and community spaces, a public bar and a café.

To celebrate the theater's return to the city centre, Haworth Tompkins and Athfield Architects looked to create a space that embodied a feeling of “openness, visibility and connection” facing the street in a triple-height, timber-framed atrium.

The exterior is covered with wooden benches and large windows

“This project has always been about more than just designing a building – it's about helping to restore the cultural heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch,” said Roger Watts, director of Haworth Tompkins.

He added: “The Court Theater is a production house in the truest sense, and we wanted to create a building that celebrates this process: open, visible, full of creativity, and deeply connected to its city.”

It opens into a triple height lobby

The theater's layout is organized around its largest hall – the Stuart Family Theater – which is surrounded by offices and work spaces to the north-east and production and teaching facilities to the west.

Built on earthquake-resistant concrete foundations, which were also used to acoustically isolate the central hall, the theater was constructed from a combination of steel and wood that was left visible from both inside and outside.

Facing Gregory Street to the south, The Gough Family Foyer is a triple-height gathering space surrounded by large rafters and cross-bracing, and organized around a brass bar and steel staircase leading to the upper levels of the hall and first-floor studio areas.

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To the southwest, the Wakefield Family Front Room studio stage is enveloped by opaque shutters that can be opened for daylight and views of Colombo Street, where a canopy and wide seating provide space for passers-by to stop and rest.

“The expansive windows and sheltered outdoor balconies are intended to make the foyer visibly breathable and welcoming to all,” Watts explained.

The venue has a 350-seat auditorium

“The windows in Colombo also provide glimpses into the landscape workshop at street level and the wig and costume workshop above, a rare example of craftsmanship and manufacturing found in the city centre,” he added.

John Rennie, director of Athfield Architects, added: “Having the building used by the theater company and audience in ways that were collectively conceived during the design stages is enjoyable, and observing the spaces inhabited and performed – in unexpected ways – is even more rewarding.”

Offices and work spaces are also provided

The technical design of the theater spaces was completed in collaboration with specialist consultants Charcoalblue, and the building is the first in New Zealand to include powered aviation systems.

Haworth Tompkins has previously completed numerous theater projects in the UK, including the restoration of the historic Theater Royal Drury Lane and the chain-covered entrance pavilion for the home of immersive theater company Punchdrunk.

Photography by Simon Devitt.

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