CASE STUDIES
Restorative Justice
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Author of case study: Marcela Torres Molano
Geopolitical location of space:
20 Lichfield Street
Christchurch Central City
Extant? Yes
Architect:
Cox Architecture, Opus Architekten, Warren and Mahoney
Construction completed in 2017.
The building and its surrounding facilities serve mostly the traditonal justice system of New Zealand. However, its design was created in collaboration with Ngäi Tüähuriri and was based on Māori cultural references (in honour of the 1998 Ngäi Tahu land settlement claim). As such, the architectural project can be seen in a larger framework of national reconciliation processes.
Yes, there are 19 purposely designed courtrooms, and one major space designed for discussions around Māori land.
Citizens of Christchurch in need of justice and emergency services.
This building belongs to the Ministry of Justice of New Zealand. It was intentionally designed to be “open and accessible in its public form” (ArchDaily).
Area: 40.000 m²
Clients: Ministry of Justice of New Zealand
The five-storey structure was designed to become an adaptable facility for justice and emergency services in one purpose-built complex. It is located in the central business area of Christchurch, and it is made up of three buildings – the Justice Building, the Emergency Services Building and a car park for operational vehicles. This amalgamation aims to contribute to a more efficient, shared operation between these sectors.
All components gather around a central courtyard. The place has 19 peripheral courtrooms on the building’s outer edges, which provides views of the city and access to natural light. Natural light is also present in the public foyer, waiting areas, and the widened circulation paths that have a clear visual relation to stairs, lifts and traverse bridges.
The materials used in the building, such as limestone, brass, warm-toned timber and bronze, were used as a reminder of the loss of local heritage. Moreover, “the Ministry of Justice partnered with Ngäi Tüähuriri to develop a visual identity founded on Ngai Tüähuriri/Ngäi Tahu values, narratives and aspirations.” Both exterior and interior details of the building, including the façade, the roof patterns, and the floor entrances, were created based on Māori references. These details, created by Ngai Tahu artists Lonnie Hutchinson and Fayne Robinsonwere, were designed to honour the meaning of healing of the 1998 Ngäi Tahu Settlement, and to create familiarity to Māori visitors. Both the name Te Omeka, as well as a large piece of pounamu, a sacred Māori stone, were gifted by Māori tribe Ngāi Tūāhuriri, the custodians of the land.
The building has great technological innovations. It uses an underground aquifer for heating and cooling. Because the underground water layer has a consistent temperature year round, during the summer it helps to cool down the temperature, while during winter it increases it. It was also designed with a seismic system to ensure the services operation for the Christchurch community in case of emergency.
The precinct was the first major government building completed in the city after the earthquake of 2011. The building aims to display the largely invisible cultural landscape of Ngāi Tūāhuriri. It includes the integration of cultural narratives into the physical form and aesthetic aspects of the structure. This was the result of an extensive collaboration between architects, designers, artists and mana whenua (authority over land or territory). The project’s architectural approach was focused on people and culture as a central axis, hence the human-centred design that incorporated citizens and heritage.
The name Te Omeka was a gift from the “Ngai Tuähuriri” to the Ministry of Justice, to represent partnership between the protectors of the land and the government. This collaboration created a more accessible, people-centric building that fosters a direct relation of citizens with the structure by reducing both physical and psychological barriers to entry.
“The Omeka is a legacy left by the people of Ngäi Tuähuriri. It asks that our hearts and minds and different faiths be bound as one to the law of Crown and Queen so that the Treaty may speak to us all.” Dr. Te Maire Tau, Upoko of Ngäi Tuähuriri.
is an author, speaker, columnist, and podcaster in the fields of architecture and decorative arts. She is completing her MA in Art History at Concordia University, Montréal, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing from John Molson School of Business. She studied Industrial Psychology in Los Angeles, California. Sicotte is the author of two published books on design (2015, 2018) published by Les Éditions Cardinal.
is a Colombian PhD candidate in the Department of Art History at Concordia University. She has a background in architectural design and community activism and holds a master’s degree in Building and Urban Design from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, England. Her interests focus on socially-engaged art, social movements, collaborative activism in post-conflict scenarios, collectively-produced art, and art produced in relation to the built environment.
is a PhD candidate in Humanities at Concordia University. His research focuses on spatial agency, social aesthetics, youth narratives, and graphic representations of urban memory. He has published on the relationship between children, play, and public space in Cartagena, Colombia. He has also worked as an editor on literary projects, including Territorio Fértil, which received the María Nelly Murillo Hinestroza award for Afro-Colombian literature.
is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Architectures of Spatial Justice (Tier 2) at the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture at McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Her research interests include low-income housing and participatory design, civil protest and urban design, and campus landscapes and race. Her publications include the co-edited book, Orienting Istanbul (2010) and solo-authored book, Istanbul Open City (2018).
is an artist and a professor of Art History at Concordia University. Her work focuses on women and the history of the built environment, urban landscapes, research-creation, and oral history. She has published on the spatial history of the suffrage movement, public art, gardens, and the politics of urban change. In addition to her research on the spaces of restorative and transitional justice, she is leading an oral history project on the urban memories of diverse Montrealers.
is Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre at Concordia University, Montreal (Quebec, Canada). He is also the second co-director of Concordia’s Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling. His latest publications explore listening in the context of post-conflict performances of memory. For instance, see ‘Facilitating voicing and listening in the context of post-conflict performances of memory. The Colombian scenario.’ In: De Nardi, S., Orange, H., et al. Routledge Handbook of Memoryscapes. Routledge: London. (2019), and his article ‘Not being able to speak is torture: performing listening to painful narratives’. International Journal of Transitional Justice, Special Issue Creative Approaches to Transitional Justice: Contributions of Arts and Culture. (March, 2020)
