Client: Auckland Council
Team: David Hayes, Jonathan Wiseman, Barrington Gohns, Fraser Horton
Fabrication: Precision Laser Cutting / Steve Caddle
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Year: 2010
Our challenge was to design and implement an iconic countdown clock for the Rugby World Cup 2011, while keeping within strict time and budgetary constraints. It had to be unique, a landmark, an attractor, creating awareness and buzz for a full year leading up to kick-off.
As recent university graduates, four of us responded to the task. We collaborated and together won the Auckland Council tender by providing an innovative design that was far more ambitious than the competition. It ended up being the largest countdown clock in the world!
We designed and hand-built the circuit boards and electronics, and assembled the fabricated aluminium modules, finally commissioning them the night before the launch event. The project was completed within a tight 6-week deadline.