Te Matapihi | Central Library

On 14 September 2022, Wellington City Council entered a contract with LT McGuinness for the first stage of main construction: base Isolators, piling, caps, mass walls and seating angles.

The tender followed the process agreed in the 'Te Matapihi–Wellington Central Library Upgrade Project, Early Contractor Involvement Agreement' signed on 5 April 2022 between Wellington City Council and LT McGuinness. This marks a significant step forward for the project.

LT McGuiness will take over the site from 19 September 2022, with substantive work ramping up from 3 October 2022 onwards.

The existing internal structure of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui (Wellington’s Central Library) has now been completely stripped out – and is ready for main works to start.

After a sustained five month process the team from Ceres New Zealand has completed the task of making the iconic building ready for the arrival of the main construction team scheduled to start late September.

News - Te Matapihi ready for main reconstruction works after strip out complete 29.08.22
News - A space for the whole community to enjoy 03.08.22

Wellington City Council has released artist impressions of the preliminary design of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui – Central Library. The current plans aim to build on the existing structure to create a uniquely Wellington library, that strengthens the story of mana whenua and history of Te Ngākau, as well as the building itself, so we can continue serving our growing communities for the next 50-75 years.

The renders show the building’s increasing accessibility and connection with Te Ngākau Civic Precinct by moving the existing entrance via the stairs to ground level rather than mezzanine level. A café and seating are likely to be located in this corner entrance and will be able to stretch out into the Te Ngākau Precinct.

Inside, the building is proposed to be much lighter and brighter, with a light shaft from the ceiling to bring in natural light.  The design also proposes two new entrances: one from the City to Sea ramp, the other on the corner of Harris Street. These will create more connection with the surroundings and provide more choices to people, particularly those with accessibility needs. The main entrance on Victoria Street will remain.

Artist impressions of the preliminary design of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui – Central Library can be seen in the media release below.

News - Take a look at Wellington’s new Central Library design 27.04.22

What’s next

The strip out of the existing internal structure by a team from Ceres New Zealand is now well advanced. Construction company LT McGuinness is scheduled to take over the site later this year to begin preparing for earthworks which are scheduled to commence in early 2023, depending on the resource consent process.

The second stage of preparing Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui for strengthening is underway. The first stage involved removing all fixtures and fitting which we completed in December 2021.

This second phase is removing services (air-conditioning, lighting and so on, many of which were due to be replaced) and interior walls from roof down the five floors and basement.

Where possible, our supplier Ceres will recycle items to reduce the amount of material going into the landfill.

The team will work between 7.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, until August 2022.

What you’ll see

In the first two weeks Ceres will set up a site office and extend the hoardings over the footpaths on Victoria and Harris Street outside the library, including the ramp into Te Ngākau Civic Precinct.

This does not affect the stairs to the City Gallery and Nikau Café and the pedestrian entrance into Te Ngākau Civic Precinct from Victoria Street (between Te Matapihi and Civic Administration Building) which will remain open.

Trucks will be going in and out from two entrances on Victoria Street, so if you’re driving take care and follow the Stop/Go signs.

What’s next

As well as strengthening the library we’re taking this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to modernise Te Matapihi and set it up to serve our growing city. As well as extending levels three and four, people will be able to connect with the libraries’ collection and services alongside City Archives, the Council Service Centre, and Capital E.

We are currently working with these groups on the best way to design the interior around the strengthening beams. We will share these plans towards June 2022.

The foundational strengthening works is planned to start late in 2022 dependent on the Resource Consent process. We’ll share more detail closer to the time.

We are carefully packing up Te Mataphii ki te Ao Nui – Wellington Central Library. Behind the hoardings, the experienced Crown Relocations team has begun the eight-week process of moving the historic fittings into storage for the next four years. This involves carefully removing, labelling, itemising, and wrapping the fixtures, following the guidance of our heritage expert. They will also upcycle or recycle standard office furniture, or library equipment that is not going into storage or being used elsewhere within Council.

They will work during the working week (Monday to Friday) and expect to finish by November, unless we experience a delay, such as an increase in Alert levels.

Crown Relocation are working to lessen any noise for the neighbouring residents and businesses as much as they can by using the basement to move items out of the library. So please be aware of trucks entering and leaving the basement entrance on Harris Street.

If you're walking in to Te Ngākau Civic Precinct from Victoria Street you'll see a small hoarding has been put up next to Te Mataphi ki te Ao Nui. Behind it is a temporary skip bin where any rubbish or broken equipment is being put. If you happen to be in the Precinct when the bin is being replaced, please follow the signage and instructions of the Crown Relocations staff to keep everyone safe.

What's next

Over the coming four years we’ll be strengthening and modernising Te Matapihi. This includes installing base isolators; expanding levels three and four; designing spaces for our Libraries, City Archive, Council Service Centre, and Capital E to bring back Wellington’s much-loved community living room to the CBD.

Over the coming months we share regular updates on how the design for Te Matapihi is progressing through our Wellington City Libraries and Council newsletters, social media and websites. So sign up for the latest news through the Our Wellington newsletter or follow the latest news.

On Thursday 15 April 2021 the proposed design and service principles to guide the operating and service development model for the refurbished Central Library were presented to the Council’s Strategy and Policy Committee Council for adoption. The Committee was also presented with options for developing the building’s upper floors and sustainability.

The design principles were developed through early engagement with Mana Whenua, key stakeholders, and potential partners, and our library teams. They also align to the draft design principles for Te Ngākau Civic Precinct. 

At the meeting the Committee agreed to: 

• the design principles outlined below: 

• Engage fully with Mana Whenua. This included an amendment to use the Library’s te reo name “Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui” from now on.
• Design for the visitor:
  • a. "whole of population" inclusion: traditional, new and future users
  • b. facilitating access to knowledge and knowledge services
  • c. anchoring social infrastructure in the city. 
• Harness the power of partnership: 
  • a. through an integrated (not just co-located) service from Libraries, City Archive and Council Service Centre
  • b. as the home of Capital E.
• Design a visitor experience that is modern, fit for the future, and Wellington:
  • a. a spatially flexible, accessible, modern environment speaking strongly of Wellington
  • b. a hub of creative, civic, and humanities activities and a visitor attraction in its own right
  • c. designed to evolve in response to ongoing digital and population change. 

• extend levels 3 and 4 of Te Matapihi as outlined in the report. The estimated cost of $8.5m would require additional funding in the 2021-31 Long-term Plan and add an estimated three months work to the construction programme.
• progress sustainability initiatives within the design of the building, with the objective of obtaining a 5 Green Star rating. This is estimated to require additional Long-term Plan funding of $1.9m. 

Following an oral submission by Claire Mabey of Verb Wellington, and Juliet Blyth of ReadNZ, who spoke on behalf of Te Ha, ReadNZ, Booksellers, Publisher’s Association and Verb Wellington, the Mayor put forward an amendment for officers to work with partners to investigate creating a dedicated space for a Literary Hub within the building, which was also adopted.

The options to extend levels three and four will now be included in the next phase of the design process which is currently underway. We will share more information on the process in the coming months. 

On Wednesday 28 October 2020 Council debated whether to strengthen or build a new Central Library for the city. The Council adopted Option C to remediate the current building to the highest level of resilience. 

Council officers published a Council paper which recommended Option C to remediate the building to the highest level. This advice was based on the information gained from the public consultation process and the progression of the design and engineering work, which builds on the information available at the time the Statement of Proposal was published.

Option C was recommended over Option D (new build on the same site) as: 

• the margin between the publics’ preferences was small - 11% higher for Option D in submissions and 1% in the survey. 
• the previous cost difference of $39.1m between Option C and D, has reduced to $4.6m (at the top of the range) 
• the more detailed design process has provided reassurance it is possible to remediate the building and create a modern, future proofed library, similar to a new build
• to remove the risk of delays due to legal challenges regarding the perceived heritage value of the building under Option D
• demolition of the building does not contribute to sustainability outcomes. 

Council recommended Option C to be incorporated in the draft Long-Term Plan (LTP) which was adopted on 28 October 2020. This allows the officers to continue working on the design and service level brief, including engaging with stakeholders. The results will now be presented Councillors in March 2021 for approval. This also provides the public another opportunity to consider the project alongside the Council’s financial position and other priorities for our city, including Three Waters and Let’s Get Wellington Moving.

The LTP consultation will begin in March 2021 and will describe Option C in more detail, alongside updated information for all the other options which were considered. In June 2021 the Council will consider the consultation results and make the final decision on the project to be included in the final LTP.

You can read the paper (included in the Council meeting agenda) on our website: https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/meetings/committees/strategy-and-policy-committee/2020/10/28

The meeting was also livestreamed on the Council’s YouTube channel.

• Wellington City Council Youtube channel.

Below you can read the revised reports from the external engineers, architects and quantity surveyors. 

• Architectural Design Specifications for Option A – 21 September 2020
  Architectural Design Specifications for Option B – 21 September 2020
  Architectural Design Specifications for Option C – 22 September 2020

Note: The changed information in the above reports is shown in red text, and information that is no longer relevant has been struck through.

• Building Services Design Features Report – 22 October 2020
  Cost Estimate Peer Review – 15 October 2020
  Cost Estimate Summary for Option A – September 2020
  Cost Estimate Summary for Option B – September 2020
  Cost Estimate Summary for Option C – September 2020
  Dunning Thornton Design Review – 13 October 2020
  Structural Design Features Report – 7 October 2020

The Central Library was not damaged in the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes, however it was re-assessed after a change to the Government’s seismic performance assessment criteria guidelines for buildings. A decision was made to close the building on 19 March 2019, including the public car park and the footpath around the library. 

As this closure affected the thousands of people who visited the library every day, our focus has been on setting up an interim network of replacement libraries in the CBD, while progressing engineering and design work to inform options for how the future Central Library could be provided. This involved : 

• Investigating and developing options for the library so the Council can make a decision on the future of the building in October 2020. This involved engineering, architecture and building experts to provide advice and carry out peer reviews of the options proposed. 
• Designing and opening three smaller libraries in the CBD. Arapaki Manners Library and He Matapihi Molesworth Library opened in April and October 2019 respectively. Te Awe Library in Brandon Street opened on l 14 July 2020 which was delayed due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
• Designing and opening a Collection and Distribution Centre (CDC) in Johnsonville to house the remaining Central Library collection. Customers can reserve items from the CDC through the online library catalogue for free. Items are then sent to the library branch of the customers’ choice for pick up.
• Installed a new hoarding and artwork around the building which celebrates the life of J.C. Sturm, also known as Jacquie Baxter. This artwork provides vibrancy to the area as we work through the long term future of the building and Te Ngākau — Civic Precinct.

You can read the full timeline on the Wellington City Libraries website.

We investigated the future options for Central Library services so that the Council can consider this alongside the proposed options for the Central Library building. We planned to take the summary of options to Council in on 24 March 2020 to allow them to make informed decisions on the future development of Te Ngākau Civic Precinct as a whole.  

This is because the future of the Central Library is part of the Council’s bigger Te Ngākau – Civic Precinct redevelopment programme of work. This focuses on how buildings in the Precinct are affected by the new seismic performance assessment criteria guidelines. Most will require strengthening and redevelopment works, services upgrades and varying levels of redevelopment to ensure that: 

• minimum service levels (the standard of services provided to the occupants for amenities and maintenance) can be maintained
• buildings are compliant and fit for purpose.

You can read more on our website about the redevelopment of Te Ngākau – Civic Precinct.

The Council meeting planned for 24 March 2020 was deferred due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

In light of the effects of COVID-19, a revised paper focused solely on providing the range of scenarios available to strengthen and refurbish the Central Library, and options to provide Central Library services was presented to Council on 27 May 2020. At the meeting, the Mayor and Councillors were also asked to approve an extensive public engagement programme to ensure the wishes of Wellingtonians are built into any decisions made on the building and the service. 

At the meeting Councillors requested officers to investigate options to speed up the decision-making process and report back the following week.  

On 3 June 2020 the Mayor and Councillors were presented with an expedited process and timelines for decision-making for the Central Library (link below). This approach was approved, along with the high level public engagement and consultation programme to ensure the wishes of Wellingtonians are built into any decisions made on the building and the service for approval.  

The public consultation ran from 27 July 2020 until 7 September 2020, which you can learn about at https://www.letstalk.wellington.govt.nz/central-library 

The results of consultation, along with the progressed design and cost estimates are being presented to Council on 28 October 2020. Council is recommending Option C to remediate the building to the highest level, to be incorporated in the draft Long-Term Plan (LTP).

Read the Council paper  

You can find information about the closure and what’s happening to our services on Wellington City Libraries’ website.

Media release – September 2020

Strong interest in the Central Library consultation

Media release – August 2020

Sign-up to the online Central Library consultation events

Media release – 27 July 2020

Share your views on the future of the Central Library

Media Release – 21 July 2020

Amendments to Statement of Proposal on the future Central Library

Media release – 16 July 2020

Council Statement on the future of the Central Library

Updates from 27 May and 3 June 2020

On Wednesday 27 May, Wellington City Council considered information on the range of scenarios available to strengthen and refurbish the Central Library, alongside other options to accommodate Central Library services. Councillors requested officers to investigate options to speed up the decision-making process and report back the following week.  

On Wednesday 3 June,  the Mayor and Councillors were presented with an expedited process and timelines for decision-making for the Central Library (link below). This approach was approved, along with the high level public engagement programme. You can read the Council papers, media release and options for the remediating the service and building.

• Council report 27 May 2020: Wellington Central Library building and service update, and building remediation options – see page 15 (2.2MB PDF)
• Additional information to Council report 27 May 2020: Expedited process and timeline for decision making around the Central Library (710KB PDF)
• Minutes and amendments from Council Meeting 27 May 2020
  
• Base case solution (2MB PDF)
• Mid-range solution (3MB PDF)
• High Resilience solution - Base isolation (3MB PDF)
• Report on the Building Services Design for the three solutions (731KB PDF)
  

Estimated cost summaries for each solution provided by an independent Quantity surveyor: 

• Base case solution (56KB PDF)
• Mid-range solution (56KB PDF)
• High Resilience solution (58KB PDF)
• New build - equivalent building footprint to Tūranga Library (52KB PDF)
• New build – equivalent building footprint to existing Central Library building (52KB PDF)
• Base case not including basement and services (52KB PDF)

Media Release 22 May 2020

Council to set direction for future Central Library services

Message from the Chief Executive 31 July 2019.

We’re pleased to announce that Professor Ken Elwood, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, has agreed to lead the process of facilitating a group of construction and engineering industry experts in finding the right way forward for the Central Library building.

Read the full statement Prof Elwood to lead Central Library experts.

Message from the Chief Executive 12 July 2019

Given the high public interest in the Central Library building, as well as the broader Civic Precinct, what follows is an update on where we are at with this work and an indication of the process from here.  

Read the full statement (470KB PDF)

— Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive

Engineering Assessment Memo  (1.9MB PDF)
Aurecon Engineering Assessment  (317KB PDF)
WSP OPUS Peer Review of Assessment (861KB PDF)