2024 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards Winner
Wai Ariki
The brief for the site on the marshy and highly active geothermal shores of Lake Rotorua was to create a luxury spa like no other – architecturally, experientially and culturally. The result – Wai Ariki, meaning chiefly waters – fosters deep connection with the land and its people, and is the most significant spa to be developed in Aotearoa in more than 100 years. The floorplan is arranged around the key journeys of bathing and healing, which are based on Ngāti Whakaue culture. The experience paths are non-linear, arranged more like a spiral, reflective of te ao Māori view of space and time. The materiality of the building and interior read as a continuation of the landscape. Raw volcanic tones envelop internal viewshafts towards the lake, with scoria, obsidian and basalt dressing many surfaces. The strong roof form is intended to be read in several ways – the brow of Te Arawa waka, a whare gable, or even tectonic plates.
- Practice
- RCG Limited and Pukeroa Oruawhata Lakefront Holdings in association
- Category
- Commercial Architecture
- Location
- Waikato/Bay of Plenty
