March 30, 2011

Community Celebrates Landmark Arts and Media Building

Around 200 invited guests will gather at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology to officially open the landmark new Arts and Media Building on Thursday March 31st from 2.30pm.

The Minister of Tertiary Education, Steven Joyce, will open the building.

Head of the School of Arts and Media, Suzie Peacock, says the official opening is a time for celebrating the arts in our region.

“It’s been a hectic few months with students and staff moving from the several buildings we did occupy into this one new facility. We’re all finding that the centralising of our school combined with the amazing design that uses natural light is creating a whole new energy. The building is buzzing.”

The Arts and Media building heralds a new era for the arts by providing an inspirational and purpose-built base for art learning with up-to-date technology and art and media workspaces. It is the first time all NMIT arts students will have been in the same facility since arts was first taught in the 1980’s.

NMIT Chief Executive Tony Gray says the opening is a significant event for the region.

“This innovative building is the largest ever capital investment in the arts in the Top-of-the-South. Not only does this creative space reflect our commitment to our students, it also provides the wider community with a physical representation of what the creative industries mean to this region. NMIT has always been a centre of artistic excellence and this building is a true reflection of that.”

NMIT would like to also acknowledge BNZ as Principal Sponsor of this building.

Natasha Osmond-Dreyer, Managing Partner Top of the South for BNZ Partners, says this is the first time BNZ has invested in the arts or arts-education in the Nelson Marlborough region.

“The BNZ NMIT Arts and Media Building is a much needed facility for Nelson. This cutting edge centre will help put NMIT and Nelson on the map, will celebrate and showcase our region’s arts and create a sense of pride in our region,” she says.

The building, which was designed by local architects Irving Smith Jack and engineered by Aurecon, is sustainable, environmentally sensitive and local, with the design and resources all being sourced within 100 kilometres of Nelson.

It’s a world-first for both its timber earthquake resistance design and its unique laminated veneer lumber (LVL) primary structure design.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry supported the building of the new facility with a $1million grant towards construction costs.

Spokesperson James Stevenson-Wallace says MAF encourages initiatives that support the forest industry to meet objectives for climate change mitigation as well as creating a sustainable resources for commercial building construction.

“The NMIT building achieves these objectives and demonstrates the potential for a significant leap forward in construction. The building itself is a world first for both innovative use of wood in the structure of multi-storied buildings and incorporates new generation earthquake-resistant engineering technology, something we have all become more focused on in recent times. That's why the Ministry contributed towards the cost of construction. There are significant benefits to New Zealand from this work"

Suzie Peacock says the building is a milestone for arts in the region.

“We believe strongly that this building belongs to the region. It’s a huge asset for the community and we hope they will embrace the new learning, design and performance spaces it offers, she says.

Arts and Media Student Ambassador Jessica Quinney says the students are loving their new learning and creative spaces and being together in one building..

“It’s wonderful being in the new Arts and Media building. It’s spacious, inspiring and is such a fantastically designed building - in form and in function.”

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