2012 New Zealand Architecture Awards Winner
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
New Zealand Architecture Medal Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki FJMT + Archimedia architects in association On a lengthy and much-scrutinised project, the Architects have held their nerve to realise a civic building that Auckland needed, and needed to be very good. A key issue confronted was also the big opportunity embraced: the Art Gallery’s relationship with Albert Park. But the building’s other relationships – with Kitchener Street and with the wider city – have been pursued very successfully, as has the strategy of using the spaces around the building, and views into the interior, to invite the public into the Art Gallery. The building also has moments of necessary drama, such as the beautifully crafted canopies over the atrium and forecourt, that elevate a visit into an occasion. Inside, the architecture, with its well-crafted detailing, easily navigable and highly functional galleries, and carefully delineated but unlaboured distinction between new and existing structure, imparts the confidence that comes from high level competence. The Art Gallery’s requirements have been met, and so have Aucklanders’ expectations.
- Practice
- Archimedia
- Category
- Public Architecture
- Location
- Auckland
