FGS South Island NZ selected for Open Christchurch viewing
On 17 February, Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City Making Director Dr Jessica Halliday and Christchurch Ambassador Erica Austin visited Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island New Zealand. They were welcomed by BLIA South Island Director Kok Wei Low and Public Relations Ryan Wang. Dr Jessica and Erica's visit was mainly to discuss about the implementation of Open Christchurch in FGS Temple.
Te Pūtahi is an urban planning and redevelopment company that hopes to combine the power of the community to make Christchurch a vibrant city after the 2011 earthquake. They recently launched a campaign called Open Christchurch, in which several outstanding and representative buildings in Christchurch will be selected as landmarks to be promoted widely, one of which is the FGS South Island NZ temple. The event will be held from 15-16 May and Christchurch residents will be invited to come and see the architecture of the temple.
Kok Wei Low introduced the architectural concept of the temple to Dr Jessica and Erica, and led them on a tour around the compound. They visited the four Bodhisattva statues on the outer wall, courtyard, art gallery and the main shrine. The visitors were impressed by the artistic atmosphere of the temple, including the thoughtful design of the building and the profound sense of inner peace. They believe that the temple was very much in line with the concept of the Open Christchurch event and that the temple will be a great addition to the list.
The concept of Open Christchurch originated from the Open House London event in the United Kingdom, which has opened 800 buildings to the public free of charge for 30 years and revitalized the market. To boost the morale of Christchurch after the earthquake, Te Pūtahi has been organising similar events since 2012, selecting representative buildings in the city centre and evaluating them in terms of antiquity, architecture and design. Through the Christchurch Open House Open Christchurch event, they hope the public will have a better understanding of Christchurch's history, culture and geography. In 2019, Te Pū tahi invited three Christchurch schools to open their doors to the public, attracting 500 to 900 visitors per day and the response was a resounding success.