Among the winners is an entire civil regeneration project, remarkable new houses and renovations, and an iconic Brutalist library.

In the Planning & Urban Design category, the renewal plan for Timaru town centre by Isthmus Group and Gap Filler has been awarded. With many heritage buildings remaining vacant or threatened by earthquake strengthening issues in Timaru, the architects’ tactical approach to community-led placemaking will create a healthy and resilient future for the heart of the town. The plan was created in collaboration with tangata whenua, businesses and community stakeholders, and demonstrates the transformative power of architecture projects.

“We heard first-hand of the profound impact that these winning projects brought to clients’ lives and their businesses, which showcases the immense value that architects can bring,” says jury convenor Maria Chen of Athfield Architects. “Architects demonstrated their ability to think beyond conventional boundaries, from navigating tight budgets, to accommodating intricate and demanding programming, to crafting a space.”

In the housing categories, residential projects showed originality and innovation. They include Seven Colourful Little Houses by Common, an enclave of delightfully bright homes inspired by DOC huts and rural sheds (and built for $2,800/m2, well below national average building costs). Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust, a social housing project that achieved Homestar 7 certification, is one of three winners in the Housing—Multi Unit category. It includes 35 environmentally, socially and economically sustainable apartments and family homes made of low-maintenance materials, designed with the collaborative integration of traditional Māori values, and finished with edible gardens. At the other end of the scale, Textured Bach, winner of HOME magazine’s 2024 City Home of the Year award, is awarded in the Housing category, as is Sumner House by RTA Studio — a dramatic and angular residential form on a tricky triangular site.

Three projects won Resene Colour Awards: Seven Colourful Little Houses, The Arts Centre Bridge and Tuhiraki – AgResearch Lincoln Facility.

“This year’s entries exemplify a remarkable blend of diversity, quality and bold design; a colourful tapestry of creativity and innovation within the industry,” says Chen. “They reflect the architects’ commitment to crafting enduring buildings, enriching our communities and serving as catalysts for positive change.”

Chen was joined by four other judges: Nicholas Stevens of Stevens Lawson Architects, Vanessa Carswell of Jasmax, architecture graduate Sarah Burns and lay juror and landscape architect, Adrian Taylor.

View all the winners and read citations here.

Commercial Architecture

Tuhiraki – AgResearch Lincoln Facility by Architectus and Lab-works Architecture

Studio Dental by Fabric

Redcliffs Medical Centre by Johnstone Callaghan Architects

Consular Office of Japan in Christchurch by Sheppard & Rout Architects

Education

The Wilderness Early Learning Centre by IKON Architects

Marian College by Sheppard & Rout Architects

Waimarie – Lincoln University Science Facility by Warren and Mahoney Architects and Lab-works Architecture in association

Enduring Architecture

University of Canterbury – Puaka-James Hight (Central Library) Building 1969-1974 by Ministry of Works, architect Fergus Sheppard

Hospitality

Akin by Johnstone Callaghan Architects

Housing

One One Two by Common

Garden House by Johnstone Callaghan Architects

Textured Bach by Nic Owen Architects

Huis Kikstra by PRau

Sumner House by RTA Studio

Sunrise Lane House by Sheppard & Rout Architects

Housing—Alterations and Additions

Villa1899 by Borrmeister Architects

Lucking House by Common

Repton Street by PRau

Housing—Multi Unit

219 Riccarton Road by Architectus

Seven Colourful Little Houses by Common

Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust by South by Southeast

Interior Architecture

Simple Machines by Three Sixty Architecture

Planning & Urban Design

Timaru CityTown Regeneration Strategy by Isthmus Group and Gap Filler in association

Public Architecture

Papa Hou by Architectus

Small Project Architecture

The Arts Centre Bridge by Warren and Mahoney Architects