He Tohu Document Room

He Tohu is the new permanent home for Aotearoa New Zealand’s iconic constitutional documents: • 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni — Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand • 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi — Treaty of Waitangi • 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition — Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine The room holding the documents is entirely formed from timber. There is a hidden internal Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) frame made from locally grown Pinus radiata. External ‘cladding’ and the carved laminated blocks of the interior are rimu, a timber native to New Zealand but not widely available. The timber used is windfall sourced from the aftermath of Cyclone Ita. The document room’s design is conceived from the idea of a waka huia, a timber treasure box. The selected timber gives the document room its own sense of warmth and texture and creates a space of civic importance that reflects the mana (power) of the documents. The timber construction combines contemporary and traditional carving methodologies: CNC (computer numerical control) routing of a fully organic form and traditional adzing technique applied at the main entry. The use of rimu reflects both New Zealand's humble beginnings, its commonest building material and connects our past with our future. Natural light is controlled using ‘light lock’ entries. Light washing walls is minimal to provide way finding, draw out the natural warmth of the timber and offset the cooler temperature case lighting. All the technical requirements, including that for fire safety and security, are successfully balanced with the creation of a place where a spiritual connection to the the taonga in He Tohu is made possible.