2024 Canterbury Architecture Awards Winner
Papa Hou
A multifunctional community facility for all ages, this building packs in a wide range of activities under an epic gabled roof, connected vertically via a light-filled open staircase. The complex brief has been cleverly resolved into a plan of simple clarity. Spaces are articulated to encourage interaction between the highly diverse range of users. From entry to destination, the journey through spaces is revealed, allowing unexpected ways to inhabit and occupy every nook. Expressive of Tāne Mahuta, the main vertical circulation reaches branch-like for the sky, integrating layers of artwork by Fayne Robinson and Flox. Health, wellbeing and energy efficiency are star performers of the sustainability strategy, which is further underscored by an understated honesty in materials and biophilic aesthetic. This is a building that takes care of its community.
- Practice
- Architectus
- Category
- Public Architecture
- Location
- Canterbury
