Christchurch graphic designer Matthew Arnold's favourite building is Peter Beaven's masterpiece, the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building, which dates from 1964. The photograph is by Stephen Goodenough.
Here's what Matthew had to say about his choice:
Matthew: "Peter Beaven designed this building in 1962 as part-monument, part-utility shed. The tunnel links Lyttelton Port to Christchurch city. It was a major engineering feat at the time and an important transport route. On its own the tunnel looks like a hole in a hill, but this architectural masterpiece at one end gives it much more clout. I like to imagine up top there’s a Starship Enterprise-style control bridge with large levers and dials that control things like the weather, petrol prices and Oprah’s weight. If we ever have to pack up modern New Zealand and leave it as we found it, we should just leave this building (and maybe Ian Athfield’s Wellington house) with a note saying, 'You’re under video surveillance', to ensure nobody tries to renovate."
We contacted Matthew to ask him to do this piece because we like Christchurch Modern, the blog he created after moving to Christchurch. It's a homage to that city's great modernist homes, and well worth a browse.
