The countdown is on for the annual Festival of Architecture, with a series of engaging, insightful and enjoyable events running from September 20-26 at venues throughout Tauranga.

For those interested in learning about how to create a vibrant, safe and successful city for people to live, work, play and learn, there are plenty of events to come along to.

Co-ordinated by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, the Festival aims to celebrate and investigate the role of architecture in improving the quality of life in New Zealand's towns and cities.

The 2019 programme includes a variety of events for people of all ages and levels of architectural interest, and features inspiring speakers and presentations, educational building and walking tours, a relaxed movie night and the ever-popular PARK[ing] Day.

The Festival commences with the free opening event at 5.30pm on Friday September 20 at the Tauranga Art Gallery. Keynote speakers Auckland Council Design Review Manager Lisa Dunshea and Auckland Council Design Review Panel Lead Michael Nettleship will present on the role that Urban Design Panels play in developing connected, integrated and community-centric spaces.

An installation at World PARK(ing) Day in 2018

World PARK(ing) Day on Friday September 20 will feature six installations around the Tauranga CBD and Mount Maunganui main road area from 9am – 5pm. It is an annual open-source global event aimed at raising awareness of the important role public open space plays in improving the quality of our lives. This year heaps of New Zealand companies around the country will be colonising parking spaces with exhibitions and installations. Come and experience the spaces, imagine how different the cities could if public spaces were used with a humans as main focus and not cars.

PARK[ing] Day began in San Francisco in 2005 when an art and design studio converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in the city's downtown area. Since then, it has evolved into a global movement with organisations and individuals creating new forms of temporary public spaces in urban settings throughout the world.

An installation from World PARK(ing) Day 2018

On Saturday September 21, an open doors walking tour will be conducted by the Property Council of NZ, providing an opportunity to discover and learn about some of Tauranga's CBD architectural developments. From commercial and residential developments currently under construction to completed interior fitouts, this is a great way to get some insight into the design processes behind these projects.

On Monday September 23, the University of Waikato – Tauranga Campus will host a tour of the new campus building, highlighting key cultural design elements and the general campus as a whole. This will be led by the architects of the campus, as well as key university staff.

The tour of the campus will reveal the story behind the building. Through the forming of a tertiary partnership, strategic relationships being established with tangata whenua, broader community groups, the design of the campus buildings celebrates all these connections. Forming a partnership with tangata whenua has influenced the articulation of the external skin of the building with the mangopare – hammerhead shark – pattern telling the local story of resilience, locating a multipurpose internal noho and teaching space, providing the ability to welcome and host guests, to an external courtyard providing a large space for external powhiri ceremonies and social gathering spaces. Following the tour, there will be drinks and kai in the atrium and an opportunity for any further questions and broader discussion.

On Tuesday September 24, the ideas of revitalising our urban places will be presented at a 2x2 City Revitalisation event at Boffa Miskell.

Great cities have vibrant city centres – how can we create a vibrant, safe and successful city for people to live, work, play and learn? And how can we recognise the importance of environmental, cultural and heritage values in urban development?

On Wednesday September 25, come to a free screening at Our Place in Willow St, of Urbanized, an award-winning documentary about the design of cities. Tauranga, just like many other cities around the world, is experiencing a booming growth. See what the world's foremost architects, thinkers, planners and politicians have to say about the issues and strategies around housing, mobility, public spaces, economy and environmental policy.

Join the NZ Institute of Architects on Thursday September 26 to explore the evolution opportunity of the Tauranga CBD, urban growth strategies and placemaking in our Urban Te Papa with an urban designer, architect, Tauranga City Council, iwi and economic development specialist. Great cities have vibrant city centres – how can we create a vibrant, safe and successful city for people to live, work, play and learn? And how can we recognise the importance of environmental, cultural and heritage values in urban development?

Be part of one of the few opportunities to connect with architecture and design in a way that is accessible, engaging and fun. To join in the conversation and register your interest for an event, visit the Festival website.