Civic Square is an open public area at the centre of Wellington, New Zealand. It marks the boundary between the financial district

Wellington Central

rightWellington Central is a suburb of New Zealand's capital, Wellington, consisting of the flat, mostly reclaimed land, west of Lambton Harbour and the part of The Terrace immediately above it. It is bounded on the north by the suburb Pipitea and extends as far south as Civic Square...

 to the north and the entertainment district

Te Aro

Te Aro is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, 1 km from the centre. It comprises the southern part of the central business district including the majority of the city's entertainment district and covers the mostly flat area of city between The Terrace and Cambridge Terrace at the base...

 to the south.

Textures and materials

The square is paved with yellow terracotta bricks and has an iconic Neil Dawson

Neil Dawson

Neil Dawson is a prominent New Zealand sculptor. His best known works are large-scale civic pieces crafted from aluminium and stainless steel, often made using a lattice of natural forms which between them form a geometric whole...

 sculpture, a 3.4 metre diameter sphere using sculpted leaves of several ferns endemic to New Zealand, suspended 14 metres over its centre. The wide City-to-Sea pedestrian bridge acts as a gateway from Civic Square to Wellington's waterfront.

Environment

The square is surrounded by council buildings each with a distinctive architectural style: the town hall and council offices, the Michael Fowler Centre

Michael Fowler Centre

The Michael Fowler Centre is a concert hall and convention centre in Wellington, New Zealand. It was constructed on reclaimed land next to Civic Square, and is the pre-eminent concert site in central Wellington....

, the central library, the City-to-Sea bridge which Capital E is part of is home to the National Theatre for Children and creative technology experiences, and the City Gallery

City Gallery Wellington

The City Gallery Wellington is an art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. The gallery was first opened in 1980 in a different building.-Features:...

. The main tiled area is the roof to the underground library car park.

Use

The square is used for public events and is a popular place for office workers to eat their lunch on warm summer days.

History

The first real plans for the Civic Square date back to 1944.

In 1987, the Wellington City Council appointed Fletcher Development and Construction Ltd as the project developers. The project involved building a new library, conversion of the existing library into the City Gallery, extension and refurbishment of City Council buildings, earthquake strengthening and refurbishment of the Old Town Hall, car parking space, design of the new public space and a link to the waterfront. The project was completed in 1992.

See also

• Aotea Square
  Aotea Square
  Aotea Square is a large paved public area in the CBD, of Auckland, New Zealand. Officially opened in 1979 by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson next to Queen Street, it is used for open-air concerts and gatherings, and markets and political rallies....
  
  , Auckland
• Cathedral Square, Christchurch
  Cathedral Square, Christchurch
  Cathedral Square, locally known simply as the Square, is the geographical centre and heart of Christchurch, New Zealand, where the city's Anglican cathedral, ChristChurch Cathedral is located...
  
  
• The Octagon, Dunedin
  The Octagon, Dunedin
  The Octagon is the city centre of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand.-Features:The Octagon is an eight sided plaza bisected by the city's main street, which is called George Street to the northeast and Princes Street to the southwest...