The BNZ Theatre in Hamilton was a landmark project for Featurecraft. We have a proud history of delivering acoustic and decorative systems for major projects across New Zealand, but this one challenged us like never before. We covered the story in our case study write-up and discussed our factory team’s experience in this article, but there’s one crucial element that we still need to share: the specifier’s side.
We recently had the privilege of interviewing Nathan Groth, project architect and Associate Principal at Jasmax, for some real behind-the-scenes insight into the BNZ Theatre. He told us that ‘the client’s aspiration was to create something revitalising for Hamilton.’ This was particularly important because ‘a lot of the regional cities in the central North Island get overlooked as performance tours skip from Auckland down to Wellington. This theatre is a full-sized venue – [currently] the only one in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. It’s now open to attracting so many more performances.’
The ambitious design brief informed a lot of the decisions made by Jasmax, including the choice of materials. As Nathan explained, ‘it was a community-driven effort largely funded by philanthropy and community contributions... so we wanted people to feel proud of it. One way we can do that as architects and specifiers is choosing quality materials. Timber was that piece for us.’
This is where Featurecraft came in. As a boutique joinery company, we were selected to provide our decorative and acoustic timber products for the theatre. We created three main systems: firstly, a walnut-stained timber batten + plywood panel system for the theatre interior. Secondly, a walnut-stained batten + perforated panel system for the parterre walls. Thirdly, red-stained battens with red felt acoustic backdrops for the corridors.
Our joinery specialists spent months on these systems, so we got to know them inside and out. However, it was fascinating to hear Nathan’s perspective as an architect responsible for designing the wider space – he gave us a new perspective. He explained that ‘the red battens [created a] unifying identity for the auditorium within the foyer. Red provides a theatrical element within an otherwise material palette of Hinuera stone and natural timber. No matter where you are in the facility, you always have this red central form that can orientate you.’
Meanwhile, the rich walnut batten + panel system within the auditorium itself ‘evokes the carcass of a string instrument, like a violin or cello.’ Functionality also came into play: ‘we can't have too many flat surfaces, otherwise you get sound reflections that might concentrate within the auditorium. You need to spread sound evenly across the room and the batten system is doing the hard work for us.’ Charcoalblue, a theatre, acoustics and experience consultancy, was instrumental in developing the design and achieving the required acoustic contributions from the batten system.
This is where Nathan really highlighted the versatility of natural materials like timber, telling us that ‘there's a grain and a richness to the materials that go well beyond just the surface. Something flat... can still be quite striking and quite engaging, because timber grain has a variegated colour palette. You can do more with less when you have a really strong material palette.’
The Featurecraft team can certainly agree with that – we've spent many good years working with timber, coaxing life and colour and character out of the wood, and we know how much you can achieve with a simple joinery feature. This project was richly rewarding for us, as we deepened our knowledge of our craft over the course of it, and came away with several new processes to take forward into future projects. However, we were quite curious about the architect’s experience, and what it was like for Nathan to work with our team.
This was his run-down: ‘this wasn’t a normal project... the scale, the complexity, needed a solutions-first approach.’ Hence, ‘Featurecraft came out in front because you had solutions, and you were willing to work towards achieving the right outcomes... You saw the scale of it, you saw the importance of it, you saw the potential... and you stepped up into that.’
We’re quite proud to share this feedback, because this has always been a core tenet of Featurecraft. We do whatever it takes to achieve the design brief. When you believe in your processes, your materials, and your team, it becomes easy to look past your limitations and keep your eyes firmly on your shared goal.
That’s not to say that the work wasn’t difficult – because it was. Not only was this a massive project, but the requirements and possibilities kept fluctuating, and we had to move fast to keep up. As Nathan pointed out, ‘where we started with the design isn't where we ended up, and where we ended up is far better. We were able to achieve some budgetary requirements that opened up other opportunities. Like, can we make the backing plywood instead of MDF - and plywood gives another hint of that material richness. There were all these opportunities, and Featurecraft was able to accommodate them. It didn't cost us more - it cost us less, and we got a better outcome. That's a result you can't talk about enough.’
Naturally, after hearing this from Nathan, we were quite pleased with our own work – but now it’s time to shift the focus back to the people at the heart of this project. We asked Nathan what he thinks the theatre will achieve. In his words, ‘This theatre demonstrates the pride and the value that people can see in their community and that is reflected in the investment that's been made - and quite frankly, the bragging rights that they’ve got probably the best live performance facility in the country at the moment.’
That’s a worthy cause, and one that we at Featurecraft were proud to share.
Our thanks to Nathan Groth, Associate Principal and Project Architect at Jasmax, for his time and kind words.
