History

• Paraparaumu Library started as a group of books in a cupboard and was run by the Countrywomen’s Institute. It later was taken over by the Kāpiti Borough Council.

  

  1978 Paraparaumu Library at Coastlands where the Westpac Bank now stands - HP 180

  

  1981 Waikanae Library at the Mahara Place site which the gallery now occupies HP 913B

   

  1981 Ōtaki Library: Demolished and reconstructed in 1998 HP 916

• Waikanae Library existed as the Waikanae District Community Library prior to 1977, when it moved to its own purpose-built premises, and came under the Horowhenua District Council.
• Ōtaki Library was established in 1872 and by 1896 was well established in its own building with 1300-1400 books. It came under the Ōtaki Borough Council.

Architects' Vision

In planning the building the architects, Warren and Mahoney, were mindful of the unique setting that the building occupies. It overlooks the swamps and sand dunes to Kapiti Island; all important symbols of the Kāpiti Coast District and links to its past. The library's basic tube-like structure frames views of Kāpiti Island at the front, while the dark vertical form of the island inspired the use of black zinc for the black box-like structure on the first floor.

 

Environmentally Friendly Building

The library uses an environmentally sustainable cooling technology. Moving away from traditional air-conditioning systems, the Beca International Consultants team modelled and developed an under floor ventilation "labyrinth." The labyrinth uses the relatively temperature stable mass of the concrete surface to pre-cool or pre-heat air entering the space. This approach together with extensive solar shading and double glazing means the temperature inside the library space is controlled to comfortable conditions and energy consumption is significantly reduced using "free-cooling." The innovative, low energy design does not require the use of refrigerants with the potential harm to the atmosphere.

Other advantages are the low capital costs, lower maintenance costs and quieter operation. It also allows the doors to be opened onto deck areas on warm days, with only limited effect on internal temperatures.The building also collects and stores rainwater, which is used for irrigation in the summer months – a significant feature in the drought-plagued Kāpiti Coast.

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Library Art Works

The library is home to significant art works by local artists, including: Hemi Sundgren, Ra Vincent, John Bevan Ford, Alan Weipeihana and Shona Moller.

While there are three iwi recognised as tangata whenua in the Kāpiti Coast District Council area, Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai is the principal iwi of the Paraparaumu area. It was decided by iwi that there would be two specifically local Māori projects - a kuaha (entranceway carving) to be designed by, and carved in wood by Hemi Sundgren and a stone water feature (situated at the eastern end between the Council and library buildings), to be designed and carved by Ra Vincent. Both artisits are from Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, are highly regarded by the iwi and have established reputations as Kāpiti artists. Ra's great grandmother owned the land on which the library is built.

Te Hekenga – The Migration   Artist: Hemi Sundgren (Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai) Designer: Hemi Sundgren, Te Hekenga was carved by Hemi with the assistance of Shannon Wafer (Te Āti Awa) and Tamati Holmes (Te Āti Awa).   Te Hekenga provides the entranceway to Te Whare Whakamatau o Paraparaumu (Paraparaumu Library). The three waka symbolise the three iwi of the Kapiti Coast, Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga me Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and their migration to the Kāpiti Coast.

The hull on the left represents the iwi, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, while the hull on the right represents Ngāti Toa Rangatira and their respective rangatira who had particular interests in land settled by Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai. The Pare or cross beam is also a waka that represents the mana whenua of the Paraparaumu, Waikanae area, namely all the hapū of Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai.    The waka may also be seen as a symbol of the human person journeying through life to achieve specific goals. This is likened to all peoples, all cultures and all ages entering the library who must navigate their waka in the right direction to achieve their purpose. “The waka represents life and it teaches life.” (Pakake Winiata)   Wood & Copper   Fundraised by Friends of the Library, in conjunction with The Community Trust of Wellington

Landscaping

All planting was selected from ecosystems associated with the Kāpiti Coast e.g. kohekohe forest, titoki forest and wetlands. Local Ōtaki aggregate for exposed aggregate paving and stone mulch is also used to reflect local geology and character.

Awards

New Zealand Insitute of Architects Award 2004

The judges of the 2004 New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards for Architecture described the Paraparaumu Library as a "carefully layered and elegantly composed building that engages the human spirit" when they awarded it a 2004 Supreme Award for Architecture.

The Association of Consulting Engineers Awards 2004

The Association of Consulting Engineers, New Zealand awarded Beca International Consultants the Silver Award of Excellence in 2004 for their work on Paraparaumu Library.

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Library Facts and Figures

The library has an area of 2,100m² . It includes a cafe of 70m², a meeting room of 70m², an art space of 30m² and archives room of 75m^2.

The library cost $5.6 million to build. A sum of $129,00 was raised by fundraising including $70,000 from the Lotteries Grants Board Community Facilities Fund. $31,000 was raised for artworks and $20,000 was allocated by the Heritage Fund of the Lotteries Grant Board toward humidity control and air conditioning equipment in the archives area.

During its first year of opening the new library issued 461,548 items, had just under 1/4 million visitors and registered 1193 new members.