Peter Beaven

Peter Beaven 2008

Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building, 2008

SBS Banking Building, 2008

Peter Jamieson Beaven (born August 13, 1925 in Christchurch , † June 4, 2012 in Blenheim ) was a New Zealand architect .

Early life

Beaven was born in Christchurch to Eric Tamate Beaven and Joan Maria Scott Jamieson. His mother was the daughter of William Graham Jamieson and May Jamieson (née Whitehouse). William Jamieson and his brother James Jamieson were well-known contractors in the Christchurch area who built buildings such as the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament , Otahuna (mansion for Heaton Rhodes ), Strowan House and The Press’s first office on Cashel Street. The construction company was founded in 1864 by his great-grandfather Samuel Jamieson. He arrived in Lyttelton on September 5, 1863, on board Captain Cook from Scotland .

Beaven received his education from Christ's College and the School of Architecture at the University of Auckland . A conversation with the architect Paul Pascoe during his time at secondary school led to his career choice. His college education was interrupted by service in the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.

Professional activities

Beaven worked in Timaru for four years after graduating . Here he mainly designed storage sheds for wool across New Zealand. Then he moved back to his native Christchurch and opened his architecture office in the mid-1950s. He spent six months in Japan in the early 1950s and made extended trips to Europe and Asia in the early 1960s. Both influenced his architectural style.

His activity focused on Christchurch. He was inspired by Neo-Gothic and often used symbolism in his works .

The Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building takes a symbolist approach. As a gateway to the Canterbury Plains , it refers to the First Four Ships , four ships that brought the first settlers to Canterbury. Beaven designed the structure as the fifth ship, which is tied to the expressway at the entrance to the Lyttelton Road Tunnel . The building in the form of a ship's hull stands on a visible pillar foundation, low planting all around represents the sea around the ship. The building in the modern style was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust on May 14, 2008 as a category 1 monument. It was honored as an example of Beaven's contribution to New Zealand architecture. The toll booths were dismantled in 1979 with the abolition of the tunnel toll, the roof above them was demolished after damage from a rock fall in the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011 , the rest in 2013.

The Manchester Unity Building (later SBS Building ) was designed in 1967 on the corner of Manchester and Worcester Street. The design won a 1969 award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) and in 1999 was again honored with a design award for the past 25 years. According to Beaven, the judges described it as “the most important office building of the post-war period”. The nine-story structure was demolished in September after damage from the February earthquake. Bevan also designed a multi-story building for Unity Bank on the corner of Cashel and High Street in Christchurch. The building was converted into a hotel in the 1990s. The Holiday Inn was demolished in 2012 using the Twinkle Toes demolition excavator .

When Beaven celebrated his 80th birthday in 2005, he was New Zealand's oldest practicing architect. When he died, his last assignment, a house in Ashburton , was about to be completed.

For many, Beaven was known less as an architect than for his outspoken expression. He was a lobbyist for good design, and when he was dissatisfied with a design he made it clear. He called the chalice on Cathedral Square a “vent to an underground toilet” and the Christchurch Art Gallery was “that great alien” for him. Peter and Lesley Beaven were major opponents of the plans for the Canterbury Museum to be redesigned by Ian Athfield . These were accepted by the Christchurch City Council , but rejected by the Environment Court in 2006.

Awards

• Gold Medal from the New Zealand Institute of Architects (2003)
• At the Canterbury Heritage Awards on September 13, 2012, Beaven posthumously received the Heritage Champion Award .

Significant works

• Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (1962–1964), administrative building of the Lyttelton road tunnel, demolished in 2013
• SBS Building (1967), office building in Christchurch, demolished in 2011
• Swimming pool in Queen Elizabeth II Park (1971–1973)
• Unity Bank, Christchurch; Canceled in 2012
• Chateau on the Park (1972–1973), hotel as a neo-Gothic fantasy

Private life

Beaven was married to Mary Beaven and had three children with her (Sabrina Sullivan, Sophie Jolliffe and Tom Beaven). His second wife was Jocelyn Allison (née Beadel) from 1984 until their divorce in 1994. Lesley Beaven was his third wife.

After the 2011 earthquake, he also moved Christchurch to Blenheim, as the destruction - including many of the buildings he designed himself - was hard to bear for him

Christchurch is pretty much hell for me now, as someone who's spent 60 years in architecture and history. That's all gone now. I've lost all my background really. Blenheim is healing ... (Christchurch is pretty much hell for me as someone who has been in architecture and history for 60 years. I've really lost all of my background. Blenheim is healing ...)

Beaven died on June 4, 2012 in Blenheim.

His funeral service was held at Christ's College Chapel . He left behind his third wife, 3 children and 8 grandchildren.

Beaven co-founded the first lobby group for New Zealand's heritage protection, the Christchurch Civic Trust . Beaven is credited with a significant role in maintaining the Christchurch Arts Center when the University of Canterbury moved to its new campus in Ilam .

Web links

Commons : Peter Beaven  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jamieson, J. And W. . In: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand . Canterbury Provincial District - Volume III . Cyclopedia Company Ltd , Christchurch 1903 (English, online [accessed February 9, 2017]).
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Peter Beaven 1: The 60s & 70s (PDF) Architecture Archive. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Lost heritage Christchurch City AC - Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration building . Heritage New Zealand , accessed September 25, 2019 .  
4. ↑ Christchurch earthquake: Lyttelton Tunnel set to reopen . In: New Zealand Herald , February 26, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
5. ↑ SBS House comes down . In: The Press , September 13, 2011, p. A3. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
6. ↑ Demolition starts on Southland Building Society building . In: Press Release: Momentus Public Relations Ltd , September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
7. ↑ Charlie Gates: Twinkle Toes checks in . In: The Press , September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012. 
8. ↑ ^{a b} David J Killick: Peter Beaven: feisty architect turns 80 . The Press . 2005. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
9. ^ David Killick: Beaven a passionate and colorful character . In: The Press , June 6, 2012, p. A2. 
10. ↑ Brilliant, driven optimistic . In: The Press , June 16, 2012, p. C14. Retrieved June 20, 2012. 
11. ^ Museum Piece . NZHPT. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
12. ^ Peter Beaven: New city plan is ... the old city plan . In: The Press , September 6, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011. 
13. ↑ ^{a b} Peter Beaven . New Zealand Institute of Architect Incorporated , archived from the original on February 21, 2016 ; accessed on May 8, 2019 .  
14. ↑ Georgina Stylianou: Trinity Church wins supreme award . In: The Press , September 14, 2012, p. A4. Retrieved September 23, 2012. 
15. ↑ ^{a b c d} Anna Turner: Tributes flow for top Chch architect . In: The Press , June 6, 2012, p. A1. 
16. ↑ Putting It Right . In: The Press , June 20, 2012, p. A12. 
17. ↑ Cathie Bell: Don't change town too much . In: The Marlborough Express , February 1, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.