2021 Auckland Architecture Awards Winner
Pῡkenga at UNITEC (1993)
Pūkenga, the Māori Studies Department at UNITEC, is a significant example of translating Māori design ideas into built form. Beyond the beauty of the metal-clad teaching pods arranged around a whare is a deeper understanding of the ways in which materials represent the natural world, with concrete standing in for earth, glass for air, and wood for the clouds. The interior unfolds a complex narrative around a watercourse, constellations and a carved pouihi, which anchors the plan with woodchips from the carving sealed into perspex screens. Tikanga and kawa shape the architecture, with prominence given to formal entry and spatial division around noa and tapu areas. Pūkenga is an architectural journey.
