New Zealand, Wellington, Parliament Building Extension

Building Notes

New Zealand's Parliament House was first occupied in 1918 but had become too small for modern government business by the 1960s. Prior to a visit to Wellington to lecture at the university, Sir Basil Spence was approached by the New Zealand Government to advise on the design of the Parliament extension. He proposed providing space for an extension by demolishing the timber vice regal residence known as Bellamys. Spence was at the height of his international fame at the time of his visit. He had recently completed Coventry Cathedral and received his knighthood.

His suggested form of building was circular in order to best withstand an earthquake. Spence's multi-storey design placed the service areas and parking within a rectangular podium. Above this the main reception rooms are contained within a circular drum linked to Parliament House. The upper floors are discs of diminishing size opening onto balconies on each level. These contain ministerial suites with the copper clad Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Room at the top. It was a design requirement that ministers be able to make their way from these offices to the Chamber within two minutes of the division bell.

Spence's initial concept was sufficiently defined. It was faithfully developed by the Government Architect Fergus G F Shepperd and overseen by the job architect J W Laburn. Popularly known as 'The Beehive', the extension was built between 1969 and 1979. HM Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the building in 1977, a year after Sir Basil's death. Since then it has become an iconic emblem for New Zealand, appearing on $20 banknotes and as a background to daily national television news broadcasts

Archive Details and Summary

The Sir Basil Spence Archive contains 44 drawings, five photographs and four manuscript folders containing correspondence, news cuttings and publications relating to the parliament extension.

Press cuttings in the Archive reveal that some New Zealanders felt that Spence's proposals were intended to shock the committee into considering a radical solution. Others argued that the hiring of an established overseas consultant expressed a lack of confidence in local architects and that a national competition should be organised. The press cuttings detail Spence's response through the press stating that the circular design was serious, considered, and practical. He pointed out that it was symbolic of unity and stability, and had historic precedent in government buildings such as the Capitol in Washington, USA.

The drawings in the Archive are Spence's early design sketches and a framed colour perspective drawing. They do not show details of technical construction as developed by Shepperd. Two drawings by government architects, dated 1960, show an unexecuted alternative scheme for the same site. Photographs include a view of a model for the scheme.

This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.