Hamilton New Zealand temple sits on significant land holdings of around 90 acres. With the closure of the former Church College of New Zealand - also housed on this site - in 2009, discussions began with Hamilton Council on how to best to utilise the land and buildings for the future of the church and the community whilst also preserving the history of the 1950’s heritage site.
The project has included the construction of a Church Stake Centre, and the repurposing of the former school library building into a church history centre with other facilities, including a small theatre for church and community use. Three additional heritage buildings have been preserved and upgraded and a new park has also been constructed with boardwalks, lakes and plants for community use. The 1.2 kilometre portion of Tuhikaramea Road, through Temple View, has also been significantly upgraded with the inclusion of three new roundabouts and the upgrade of underground services. The whole project features a diverse range of Firth pavers in complementary colours, appropriate to the heritage of the site.
Stage one of the project saw Michael Graham from Mansergh Graham Landscape Architects work with the church’s Design Manager, Don White, from Utah to develop a concept for repurposing the old Church College site.
Mansergh Graham Landscape Architects contacted Firth very early on in the design phase of the project about the development and supply of a contemporary paver for the project with a municipal thickness of 80mm to enable use in carparks and heavier traffic areas. “Firth helped with colours and samples for consideration from their Designer Paving Series,” says Michael. “It was important that whatever design we submitted for consideration fitted in with the white block style used by the labour missionaries when they built the Church College and the surrounding buildings more than 50 years ago.”
The demolition of the old teacher houses has created room for new, affordable housing for the community. The colour and style of the new housing has been dictated by the white blocks of the temple and other existing buildings. “It’s interesting that many of the blocks used in the original construction of the buildings were made in a block-making plant that had been built on site,” adds Michael.
“Stage one has been completed with Stage two now underway, which includes the demolition of some of the remaining buildings that were previously part of the old Mormon College,” explains Greg Blank, Sales Manager (Waikato) from Firth. “This next stage will see the use of about another 2600m² of the same pavers and colours as used in stage one which has received rave reviews from everyone.”
Michael says that Holland Set pavers were used in a pattern to break up large areas of the cobble style paver used for the carpark. “Preparing the basecourse for the carpark provided its challenges for the contractor as the area is very peaty which made creating an even, solid surface quite difficult.”
“The result looks special and is particularly fitting for its location and heritage,” says Michael. “I would say that the success of the project to date can be attributed to the collaboration between the Church, the design team and our suppliers.” The revamped Temple View facility boasts a new Church Stake Centre; a beautiful park; a history centre, offices and small theatre; the remodeled Kai Hall, George R. Biesinger Hall and First House; an upgraded road and new infrastructure; along with new homes – all on the site of the former campus.
Customer: Church of the Latter Day Saints
Landscape Architect: Mansergh Graham Landscape Architects Ltd
Location: Temple View Hamilton
Products: Firth Paveware
