Disaster memorial wins prize

A building design commemorating the Wahine Disaster has earned a Victoria University Architecture student second prize in an international competition.

Fourth year student Thom Ibbotson submitted his design to the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) International Student Competition hoping simply to receive a certificate of participation for his CV.

"I thought being stacked against students from so many foreign universities I wouldn’t stand a chance, so it was a wonderful surprise!"

More than 90 students worldwide entered the competition. The judges commented on how well Mr Ibbotson had handled the relationship between a dramatic site and emotive subject matter.

"The Wahine Disaster didn’t happen in my generation so it was interesting to research and offered a lot to work with," says Mr Ibottson.

The building, which has a boat-like structure, is situated on a cliff top on the Seatoun coast overlooking the site of the sinking. Inside is a gallery space containing large black and white photographs from the disaster, with windows at feet level looking out to the view, to enable visitors to also contemplate the site where the disaster happened.

For the annual CAA competition, students are invited to make proposals for a memorial that does not already exist commemorating a significant past event in their own country, or the country in which they are studying. It must keep the memory of the event alive, as well as provide accommodation to house and publicly display relevant memorabilia.