Wellington City, New Zealand
HOK Sport joint venture ­ Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture

Photography © Fotoworks/Benny Chan

This project provided a unique opportunity to develop a world class cricket venue as a whole entity – rather than adding to an existing facility in a piecemeal fashion. The bowl took an unusual oval form as a rational response to the need to provide a five-block cricket wicket of international standing. The bowl design includes a complete oval lower tier with separate box level seating 2,600 to the underside of the roof giving dramatic and unobstructed views of the whole arena. The complete enclosure of the field with the oval seating bowl provides an ideal amphitheatre for the action of the sporting arena.

Concourse areas include gallery spaces providing seven-day-a-week entertainment, cultural and exhibition space serving the community. The stadium also includes offices, a sports medicine facility, cricket academy, and a cricket museum.

Located in the former rail yards adjacent to the CBD, the Stadium takes a leading role in the redevelopment of the surrounding area. It is effectively landlocked on three sides with all vehicular and pedestrian access gained via the plaza linking the venue with the main railway station to the south. The railway passes directly under the public plaza providing an ideal public transport link to the facility.

The stadium opened early January 2000 and provides the capital city of New Zealand with a modern world class stadium, the first such in the country.

In its first year of operation WestpacTrust Stadium sold all memberships in the first 6 months, sold 18 000 Rugby season tickets compared to 1800 at the previous venue, achieved record crowds for a multitude of events, produced a $1million profit for the Hurricanes Rugby Union franchise in the first year of operation - the largest profit in the Super 12 franchises, and produced a $1million profit for the Wellington Rugby Union in its first year of tenancy at the venue, following a history of losses.

For more on this project please see the October 2001 issue of Architectural Record.

The Winners: Chesapeake Bay | Corning Museum | Dulwich Galllery | Kuhonji Temple Gate | LVMH Tower | Pedestrian Bridge | Phillips Plastics | Saitama Arena | SAP Headquarters | Chiller Plant | Wieden + Kennedy Headquarters

The Finalists: Allegheny Jail | Hansen Construction | Helmut Lang Perfumerie | Herman Miller Showroom | Lincoln St. Garage | TBWA/Chiat/Day | U.S. Courthouse | Westpac Stadium

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