2023 New Zealand Architecture Awards Winner
Fonua Mana
Despite an incredibly modest budget, this building is worth millions to its Pasifika community. The architects have set the building on a diagonal axis oriented north, with deep verandahs peeled away at the corners to allow controlled sunlight in; a soaring dark, cork-lined ceiling, translucent at its apex, allows light to filter through Tapa cloth into the heart of the space. The utilitarian blue corrugate pyramid roof is topped by a vibrant red cross. In the words of one of the community leaders, “the happiest people don’t have the best of everything — they make the most of everything”, and this building is a testament to this notion.
- Practice
- Bull O'Sullivan Architecture Ltd
- Category
- Public Architecture
- Location
- Canterbury
