Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui | Wellington Central Library

Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, Wellington’s Central Library, first opened in 1991. In early 2019, the library was closed due to earthquake safety concerns, and strengthening and refurbishment works began in December 2022. In October 2024, Int. Workspaces was awarded the contract by Wellington City Council for the design and supply of steel shelving for the refurbished Library space. 

In close collaboration with library staff, the shelving design process was completed over a 16-week period. Over this time, we worked floor by floor, across three levels, planning for a total of 51 unique book collections, each with their own shelving requirements. 

Each collection was reviewed and the library team proposed their preferred shelving specifications. Shelving calculations would then be completed to determine how many shelving bays were needed to house the collection. Each collection was then drawn onto the floor plan, carefully considering functionality, accessibility, and structural constraints. Along the way, challenges arose; particularly in re developing shelving specifications to ensure collections fit seamlessly, and working around structural K-bracing while maintaining flow and accessibility throughout the space.

Each floor’s proposed floor plan and corresponding shelving specifications were presented for feedback to the library team and Athfield Architects. Feedback would then inform changes to the floor plan before re-presenting for final sign off, before moving onto the next floor. 

Once all of the shelving design work had been completed, internal calculations were done to determine the quantities  each shelving component needed. Manufacturing of the steel shelving took 12 weeks to complete. 

Over the following 4 months, we continued to work collaboratively with the Wellington Library team and Athfield architects to explore requirements for the shelving bay ends and canopy panels. It was determined that all of the shelving bays were to have bay end panels, and all the children’s and Māori collections to have canopy panels too. 

The final stage of the design process was to develop the custom design elements. These designs had been briefly discussed during the shelving layout process as we needed to allocate space for them, but detailed specifications and drawings were yet to be refined. 

On the ground floor,  built-in nooks were integrated within the Children’s collections shelving. These spaces were designed to create cozy reading areas as well as a practical solution to work around the structural K-bracing. The wall mounted reserves shelving constructed from LPL and steel was designed to follow the curve of the wall. The board book collection was to be housed on custom wall shelving and in browser bins and browser bin tunnels.  We wanted to create a welcoming, interactive area for parents and young children and encourage interaction through face-out displays.

On the second floor, the non-fiction shelving incorporates two leaner inserts. These were introduced to help improve visibility through the taller rows of shelving and provide a surface where books can be easily browsed. There is also a built-in seating nook for adults, designed to create a comfortable space for reading amongst the books.

Throughout all three floors, there are also multiple display pyramids and plinths. 

Installation of the Steel shelving began in August 2025. Our delivery and installation team were on site for 12 weeks and during this time, assembled approx. 7.5km of Steel Shelving, installed bay end and canopy panels and all custom design units. 

Int. Workspaces completed their contract in November 2025. The library team began moving their extensive book collection of 250,000 back into the building and were shelved onto over 8000 new shelves.  On the 14^th of March 2026, Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, Wellington’s Central Library re opened to the public.