A uniquely urban convention centre, the NZICC has the responsibility to present the New Zealand experience.
Designed over three main levels, this large and complex building will host up to 2,850 delegates for convention and entertainment events. With flexibility a key aspect of the project, the facility will contain a public atrium and external laneway, highly reconfigurable meetings rooms of various sizes, and a dedicated multiuse plenary theatre; all suspended above 8,100m² of flexible ground floor exhibition and support spaces. The main exhibition hall is fully glazed along its street-facing edges, highly subdivisible through the use of operable walls, and given its size, flexibility, and ceiling height is a truly international facility.
The NZICC is a uniquely urban Convention Centre: vertically stacked and highly active on all four edges, including the midblock laneway that connects Nelson Street to the new Hobson Street entry plaza and provides public access to the NZICC entry gallery at multiple levels. This edge activation will improve the urban amenity of the surrounding streets by delivering a range of social, retail and hospitality experiences for Aucklanders and visitors alike, creating a unique offering for the international business events market. As the key venue in which New Zealand hosts the world, it is designed to reflect the character of our country and people, the shared qualities of an open and dynamic culture, create dramatic relationships to landscape, and embrace deep textures and innovative technologies. This building, more than most, has the responsibility to present the New Zealand experience, position our country competitively in the international convention market and showcase New Zealand as a smart, innovative country.
Design of the NZICC is a collaboration between Warren and Mahoney,Woods Bagot, and Moller Architects.
