2024 New Zealand Architecture Awards Winner
University of Auckland B201 Building
B201 has sought to elevate the mana of Waipapa Marae and Fale Pasifika, connecting them confidently into the heart of the campus. A highly effective collaboration between Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland and multidisciplinary artists Haumi is evident in the integrated artwork that appears to prioritise dialogue with place in its acknowledgement of whenua, mana whenua, marae and fale. With exemplary execution of long-pondered masterplan moves, the project masterfully repurposes a tough brutalist structure to transform the cultural precinct, reaching out to connect across and below Symonds Street into the academic heart of the university. In synergy with established street trees, the mesmerising zig-zagging aramoana form of the atrium’s hybrid timber roof structure works impossibly hard to covertly provide light, shade, ventilation and acoustic treatment. B201 has received one of Aotearoa’s highest-ever Greenstar ratings and its low-carbon design and adaptive reuse aspire to set new benchmarks for sustainable educational environments.
