Description
The Christ’s College campus is unquestionably one of the most remarkable collections of buildings in New Zealand, but there are few publications that focus solely on its architecture. To produce this book, Sir Miles Warren, the architect for Christ’s College for 43 years, enlisted fellow Christchurch architect Alec Bruce, to create this succinct summary of the design of the college’s unique buildings. Earlier collaborations on projects at Christ’s College led naturally to this shared authorship.
Drawings have been used instead of photographs, to show the range of types of graphical information from which buildings were produced and the different creative tendencies of the architects involved. Later design commissions contend with the challenge of working in an established heritage environment.
Significant parts of Christ’s College were changed as a result of the Christchurch earthquakes, lending urgency to the publication of this book, which includes buildings that have been removed since September 2010.
About the Authors
Sir Miles Warren
Born in Christchurch and educated at Christ’s College, Sir Miles notes that his first involvement with the architecture of Christ’s College was in 1945 as a 16year old draughtsman working for the architect Cecil Wood. The formal long architect and client relationship with the College, however, began in 1959 and lasted until his retirement. In his biography, Warren notes that the College was his “…best, longest and most rewarding client.”
Sir Miles Warren with Maurice Mahoney was a founding partner of the architectural firm of Warren and Mahoney. Their first collaboration in 1958, the design for the Dental School won them national recognition as well as an NZIA Gold Award. The 1960s saw the new architectural practice develop their trademark approach which included the commission for the Christchurch College in 1964. Commissions nationally and internationally have included the Christchurch Town Hall, the New Zealand Chancery in Washington, the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, the Civic Offices in Rotorua, the New Zealand High Commission in India and the New Zealand Chancery in Washington.
Sir Miles has received many awards over his long career in architecture including in 1974 a CBE and in 1985 a KBE, both for his Services to Architecture. Sir Miles was given the country’s highest honour in 1995 when he was admitted to the Order of New Zealand. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Auckland in 2001, in 2003 he was made an Arts Foundation Te Timu Toi Icon and he received one of two top honours in Canterbury’s Business Awards in September 2007.
Alec Bruce
Alec has been practicing as an architect in Christchurch since 1985. His interest in architecture is very broad and not limited to an individual style, period or place. His many completed projects include both adaptive reuse of heritage buildings and contemporary designs. His association with Sir Miles Warren is based on like-mindedness and a shared appreciation of Christchurch’s distinctive architectural traditions.
Specifications
ISBN: 9780995143821
Pages: 112
Dimensions: 303mm x 255mm
Format: Hardback
Authors: Sir Miles Warren and Alec Bruce
Published: 20 September 2021
