RIBA REGIONAL SHORTLIST FOR AUCKLAND CASTLE, TOWER AND FAITH MUSEUM
FEBRUARY 2024
The Auckland Projects Faith Museum, Castle and Tower has been shortlisted for a North East RIBA Award. The client, The Auckland Project was founded by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer. The project is a series of urban and historic interventions: the restoration of the 900-year-old Grade I listed Castle, the Auckland Tower, a welcome and orientation building with ticket office and events hall; and the new extension to the Castle to accommodate the Faith Museum.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM PROGRESS
MARCH 2017
Below are some from the Natural History Museum site showing the scaffold ‘tunnel’ going up at the Museum. This is the framework required to lift, manipulate, and move the blue whale skull into position in a few weeks.
Though the main hall has had a sperm whale in it before, this was only around 15m long. In contrast, the blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever existed, is about 30m long once assembled.
Unfortunately, due to the various extensions and alterations to the Museum over time, the skull can only come in via the front doors. And – much like a very large, very heavy, very valuable sofa – it’s a case of squeezing it in at strange angles.