Hundertwasser books donated to city of Whangārei, towering crane on site for a year

Be Part of Art volunteer Pam Tothill, Whangārei mayor Sheryl Mai and Hundertwasser Non Profit Foundation New Zealand representative Richard Smart. Photo/John Stone

A collection of books about Friedensreich Hundertwasser have been donated to the city of Whangārei so people can learn more about the man who inspired the Hundertwasser Art Centre.

Project spokesperson Greg Hay said earlier this year a delegation of contractors, including architects and engineers, had travelled to Vienna on a "fact-finding" mission.

The trip gave the contractors a chance to see Hundertwasser buildings and the details within them up close.

"They were exposed to what a Hundertwasser building actually looks like," Hay said.

While in Austria, the group was hosted by the Hundertwasser Non Profit Foundation.

The foundation decided to gift some books to the city of Whangārei as they thought it would be great if the people there had an opportunity to learn more about Hundertwasser and his work.

Fifteen books were officially presented by Richard Smart, the NZ representative for the Hundertwasser Non Profit Foundation, at Whangārei Library on Wednesday in front of around 25 project supporters.

Hay said the books are a mix of non-fiction about everything from his art, architecture and design through to his life and philosophies.

The books can be borrowed from the library.

The 26 metre tall crane that towers over Whangārei's Town Basin will be on site for 12 months. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Meanwhile the large crane that towers above the project site in the Town Basin is set to be a permanent fixture in Whangārei's skyline over the next year.

Hay said the crane is on site to "streamline operations". It will lift everything around the site that needs to be lifted.

It is 26 metres high and has a 50 metre boom. At a five metre reach it can lift 4.5 tonnes and at a 50m reach (the end of the boom) it can lift 1.3 tonnes.

The crane is an MC85B tower crane, and is from local Whangārei company Atlas cranes.

Hay said the crane will be on site for 12 months.

The last of 75 piles to support the building have been hammered into the ground.

The next stage of construction is to form and pour the concrete bond beams which link the piles together before installing sub-surface services and then the concrete slab early in the new year.

The $26 million Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Art Gallery is due to be completed in late 2020.