Festival of Architecture

The Nelson & Marlborough branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) had their annual Festival of Architecture and needed a drop-in space for various activities. It didn’t take long for us to find them the ideal space, including room enough out-front for tables, chairs, umbrellas, beanbags and potted plants, and more importantly, room enough inside for a cake-as-architecture competition!

The Festival of Architecture is a nationwide series of engaging and accessible free events that aim to celebrate and investigate the role of architecture in improving the quality of life in Aotearoa’s towns and cities.

In Nelson and Marlborough, a specific aim of the Festival was to explore the quality and characteristics of the region’s “people places”, with several free activities created to achieve this. The Festival programme included a heritage walking tour, a public talk about the design of successful public spaces, a Festival pop-up space, Festival photo competition and a Architectural Cake Baking Competition.

All images on this page are by Renée Williamson.