Te Papa’s site
Te Papa sits on the backbone of the North Island, facing north and offering spectacular views over the harbour. It is easily accessible, placed in the heart of the city, connecting with the people of Wellington, and bringing a museum visit within walking distance of the central business district. Nearby is the dining and entertainment mecca of Courtenay Place. All this was central to the founding vision - that Te Papa be part of the living city, an active member of the wider community.
Building the building
A designer for Te Papa was found through a national architectural competition. The successful company was JASMAX of Auckland, who demonstrated the creative ability to turn the vision of national identity into reality.
For the four years of its construction (1994-98), Te Papa was one of the biggest museum projects in the world. Built on a site the size of three rugby fields, with a total floor area of 36,000 square metres, 80,000 cubic metres of concrete, and enough reinforcing steel to stretch from Wellington to Sydney, Te Papa was a massive undertaking.
As part of the site’s preparation, thirty-tonne weights were dropped 50,000 times on the ground where Te Papa now stands. The building, clad in 14,500 grey and yellow stone panels, also has its own state-of-the-art, New Zealand-invented, shock absorbers - lead-core bearings that isolate Te Papa from most of the ground movement during an earthquake.
With all that pounding, and its steel, concrete, and panelling, Te Papa is an engineering marvel. What truly sets it apart as a physical space, of course, is its bold architectural design and stunning setting on Wellington’s waterfront.
> Maps and access to our building