Civic Square, Wellington

Panorama of Civic Square from the City-to-Sea bridge.

Civic Square is an open public area at the centre of Wellington, New Zealand. It marks the boundary between the financial district to the north and the entertainment district to the south.

Textures and materials

Close-up of spherical sculpture

The square is paved with yellow terracotta bricks and has an iconic Neil Dawson sculpture, a 3.4 metre diameter sphere using sculpted leaves of several ferns endemic to New Zealand, suspended 14 metres over its centre. The wide City-to-Sea pedestrian bridge acts as a gateway from Civic Square to Wellington's waterfront.

Environment

The square is surrounded by council buildings each with a distinctive architectural style: the town hall and council offices, the Michael Fowler Centre, the central library, the City-to-Sea bridge which Capital E is part of is home to the National Theatre for Children and creative technology experiences, and the City Gallery. The main tiled area is the roof to the underground library car park.

Use

The square is used for public events and is a popular place for office workers to eat their lunch on warm summer days.

Civic Square in February 2010.

History

The first real plans for the Civic Square date back to 1944.

In 1987, the Wellington City Council appointed Fletcher Development and Construction Ltd as the project developers. The project involved building a new library, conversion of the existing library into the City Gallery, extension and refurbishment of City Council buildings, earthquake strengthening and refurbishment of the Old Town Hall, car parking space, design of the new public space and a link to the waterfront. The project was completed in 1992.

See also

• Aotea Square, Auckland
• Cathedral Square, Christchurch
• The Octagon, Dunedin

References

• Wellington City Council Art and Architecture