The long wait is almost over for Wellingtonians, who have been without their central library since it closed in March 2019 after being assessed as a seismic risk.
Following a four-year restoration and full re-strengthening, Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui (The Window to the Wider World) has entered the fit-out phase ahead of the official reopening on March 14, 2026.
Te Matapihi will be a modern, uniquely Wellington library that celebrates the history of Pōneke. Redesigned in partnership with mana whenua, the restored building will house the library’s books and special collections, Nōku te Ao Capital E (supporting young people’s creativity), Wellington City Archives, and a large ground-floor café linking to Te Ngākau Civic Square.
The original 1990s’ designer of Te Matapihi, Athfield Architects, worked alongside Tihei Limited on the design theme inspired by ‘te taiao’ (the natural environment) and referencing the forest flora and fauna that flourished for centuries along the waterfront.
The iconic Te Matapihi Nikau palms return in the new design, with distinct colour palettes helping people navigate the space.
With a new atrium staircase and extra windows, the building will be lovely and light inside.
Wellington’s community ‘living room’, as it has become known, has been strengthened to move as a single structure supported by a re-formed ground-floor platform in the event of an earthquake.
The foundation system has been re-strengthened with the addition of 49 new piles that go down up to 18 metres, and 24 new plinths to transfer seismic loads through lead rubber bearings.
Te Matapihi is now restored to more than 100% of the new building standard. A seismic gap, called a rattle zone, has been created around the building so that in an earthquake the building – separated from the ground on new base isolators – will have a space to move into.
Levels 3 and 4 have been extended as part of the restoration, and there are four new entries linking the building with Te Ngākau Civic Square and the city. New window systems that have replaced existing precast concrete panels brighten interior spaces, while new cladding systems have been carefully integrated within the building’s existing façade.
Reaching practical completion in August 2025 was a memorable milestone for the main construction contractor LT McGuinness (LTM) and the whole project team.
“Wellington has gone through a tough patch over the past few years with roads and buildings closed and nowhere to gather, but soon the people of this city will have a lovely big civic space to enjoy again,” says Stu Hercus, LTM’s project site manager.
“We’re hugely proud of everyone involved in this project. It has been a challenging job, but we did it on time and on budget.”
When first engaged on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis for Te Matapihi, LTM was still in the throes of finishing Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre. The company won a Gold Award (Built Tourism and Leisure) at the 2024 NZ Commercial Project Awards for their work on Tākina.
LTM is a market leader in the ECI process, bringing a strong voice to the table in the pre-construction phase. Their ECI engagement on Te Matapihi proved crucial in enabling the refinement of a smart, well-coordinated construction approach.
“We collaborated very closely with consulting engineers Aurecon, and temporary works’ structural engineers Dunning Thornton, to come up with ways to support the building while the new foundations and base isolation works were installed,” says Stu.
He says the existing building had many irregularities. Structural loadings varied from one part to another, each requiring a different approach. “It meant there were lots of conditions around how we approached each phase. Careful sequencing was required, as well as detailed planning around staging of temporary works.”
Leading structural steel fabricators MJH Engineering was another key project partner.
“They were massive. It was the biggest steel job, by weight, that they’d ever done.”
Stu says working below the water table and around the tides required a resilient workforce. Wet, muddy ground underfoot meant the work environment was not easy.
He says developing a positive site culture helped keep everyone motivated.
“Last year, we hosted a whānau day, opening the site to workers and their families. When you include whānau, it goes a long way. We celebrate milestones with food and have a culture of healthy competition where we try and out-do each other in things like bake-offs and encouraging health and wellbeing.
“We always make sure toilets and staff facilities are well set up, and that there’s good signage and communication on-site.
“Safety is paramount on a job like this. As we were re-strengthening an existing building we had to adopt a non-linear programme. The benefit of this was that we were able to open up a lot of work fronts concurrently. This meant we had a layered workface and had to manage work streams above and below.
“We had a cordon system that clearly marked the danger zones below as well as robust controls above to eliminate risk and enable work faces to flow simultaneously. We have a lot of safety-conscious people, who work for each other as much as themselves.”
Stu says there were strict rules around temporary works and the build sequence; for example, progress of new steel and concrete installation became hold-points, in that they had to be signed off before existing columns could be cut to install new base isolators. Detailed modelling and testing supported the coordinated delivery of a safe work programme.
As the main contractor on Tākina, Heke Rua Archives and now Te Matapihi, LT McGuinness has had a big civic impact in Wellington over recent years.
“We are innovative, highly capable and aspire to offer excellent training and development that give our people opportunities to grow and succeed,” Stu says.
Current projects for their team include the Scott Base redevelopment, storage facilities for Te Papa, an annexe by Te Whare Whakarauika | Wellington Town Hall, and Parliament’s Future Accommodation Strategy (FAS).
© Waterford Press Ltd 2025 – Independent Print Media New Zealand.
