kids encyclopedia robot

Michael Fowler Centre facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Michael Fowler Centre
MichaelFowlerCentre.jpg
The Michael Fowler Centre from Whairepo Lagoon
General information
Type Concert hall and convention centre
Location Wellington
Coordinates 41°17′22″S 174°46′41″E / 41.289421°S 174.778053°E / -41.289421; 174.778053
Construction started 1980
Completed 1983
Technical details
Floor count 3
Design and construction
Architect Warren and Mahoney
Other designers Acoustic assistance from A. Harold Marshall
Other information
Seating capacity seats up to 2,209 for concerts and has a classroom capacity for 1,035 persons

The Michael Fowler Centre is a concert hall and convention centre in Wellington, New Zealand. It was constructed on reclaimed land next to Civic Square, and is the pre-eminent concert site in central Wellington.

Commissioned in 1975, building began in 1980; the centre officially opened on 16 September 1983. It was designed by Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney of Warren and Mahoney, with acoustic assistance from Professor A. Harold Marshall, formerly the Head of Auckland University's Acoustics Research Centre. It is named after the primary promoter of its construction, Sir Michael Fowler, at the time the mayor of Wellington. The auditorium seats 2210 people during a concert, and 1035 during a classroom type event.

The centre is used by international and local acts, conferences, and summits; it is also the home of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and ARISE Church.

The venue is now part of the Venues Wellington group of venues, managed by the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency.

Exterior Lighting

The exterior of the Michael Fowler Centre contains a lighting system which allows light to be reflected off the concrete panels of the building. These lights have been used to mark significant occasions such as local LGBT Pride events, one hundred and twenty five years of women's suffrage in New Zealand, the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, or in memory of the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks.

Images for kids

kids search engine
Michael Fowler Centre Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.