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 A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, 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 Warren and Mahoney is an international architectural and interior design practice - one of the few third generation architectural practices in the history of New Zealand architecture. It is a highly awarded architectural practice, with offices ...

of Warren and Mahoney, with acoustic assistance from Professor

A. Harold Marshall Sir Arthur Harold Marshall (born 15 September 1931) is a New Zealand expert in acoustics design and research. He is Professor Emeritus of the University of Auckland School of Architecture, and co-founder of Marshall Day Acoustics Ltd in 1981 wi ...

, formerly the Head of Auckland University's Acoustics Research Centre. It is named after the primary promoter of its construction, Sir

Michael Fowler Sir Edward Michael Coulson Fowler (19 December 1929 – 12 July 2022) was a New Zealand architect and author who served as mayor of Wellington from 1974 to 1983. Early life and family Fowler was born on 19 December 1929 in Marton, the son of ...

, at the time the mayor of Wellington. The auditorium seats 2210 people during a concert, and 1035 during a classroom type event.

Events and performances

Orchestra Wellington warming up in the MFC

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

Arise Church Arise Church is a New Zealand Pentecostal church. It is a multi-campus church, with eleven locations throughout New Zealand. History Origins and expansion Originally named City Church Wellington, it was founded in 2002 with seven people in a smal ...

. 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 LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...

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 The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

. File:michael_fowler_centre_20_march_2018_1.jpg, Michael Fowler Centre lit in the colors of the trans flag on 21 March 2018 in remembrance of Zena Campbell. File:Michael Fowler Centre Wellington 15 March 2019 a.jpeg, Michael Fowler Centre lit in the colors of the rainbow flag in March 2019.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Convention centres in New Zealand Concert halls in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Wellington City Tourist attractions in Wellington City 1980s architecture in New Zealand Brutalist architecture in New Zealand Wellington Central, Wellington

Events and performances

Exterior lighting

See also

References

External links