Ten projects have received Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architect’s Local Awards for the Western region at an event at the Refectory, Massey University in Palmerston North.
A handful of public projects were included in the winners. They include Ko Tamawāhine, Ngā Awa Block, Westmere Presbyterian Memorial Church and Te Whare Hononga. Most are examples of bicultural collaboration between architects and iwi that have resulted in buildings designed for communities.
“Many projects were faced with restrictive budgets, but the outcomes are excellent, with culturally enriching architecture that inspires community spirit and in some cases, provides a lifeline to communities,” says jury convenor, Monika Puri of 242am Architects.
The new addition to Whanganui’s Westmere Presbyterian Memorial Church by Dalman Architects is a great example of the collective effort required for these projects: members of the congregation felled trees to provide timber and gathered old bricks to repurpose for use in the new structure.
In Levin, Mabel Central housing by Wright & Gray Architects won in the Housing—Multi Unit category. The private development of 43 terraced houses is at once simple and groundbreaking. “The architect was inspired by ideas from other districts’ plans to introduce multi-unit housing in Levin,” says Puri. “They controlled the entire chain of construction in the building phase so that the supply chain was local. In this way, and in other winning projects, the role of the architect went further than the traditional role. They’ve challenged and expanded it.”
Three dwellings will win in the Housing category, including Gonville Pool House, a transformation of a public pool complex into a family home. The adaptive reuse of the disused community pool in Whanganui has reimagined the building as a modern open-plan home, and the pools as sunken gardens.
A jury of three judges — Nick Strachan of Athfield Architects, Heather Hocken of WSP and lay juror Tyson Schmidt — assessed this year’s Western projects with Puri.
View all the winners and read citations here.
Housing
Baring Terrace House by Boon
Cracroft House by Dalgleish Architects
Gonville Pool House by Patchwork Architecture
Housing - Multi Unit
Mabel Central housing, Levin by Wright & Gray Architects
Public Architecture
Ko Tamawāhine by Boon
Ngā Awa Block by Copeland Associates Architects
Westmere Presbyterian Memorial Church: New Entry Building by Dalman Architects
Te Whare Hononga by Tennent Brown Architects
Small Project Architecture
Te Upoko o Te Whenua Marae Canopy by Boon
He Awa Ora by Dalgleish Architects
