“Vivid and beautifully controlled, effortlessly combining small moments with sweeping global developments,” says judge Jeremy Hansen, of this year’s winning entry Of Belonging and Loss by Tessa Forde.
An architecture researcher, teacher and practitioner who is currently undertaking a PhD at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau AUT, Forde says she will be donating the award’s $2000 prize money to causes close to her heart.
“It is humbling to receive this prize, especially for this particular piece of writing,” she says.
More than 90 entries were submitted to the annual competition, which invited entrants to respond to the prompt ‘The building told a story’.
“The prompt struck me,” says Forde. “I thought a lot about what stories are told and what stories are lost when a building is destroyed. As architects we have to think about what it means for our past, future and our discipline when architecture is used as a weapon, and when buildings – and all the culture they hold, the meaning they make, the stories they tell – are victims of violence alongside the people who inhabit them, who make their lives there.”
With her structurally experimental piece, Tessa hopes to capture the tangibility of belonging and loss through poetry and architectural language.
The Open category received most of the 94 entries, with several strong contenders, resulting in the judges awarding three with Highly Commended – Honour and Control: New Plymouth Barrett Street Nurses’ Home by Elizabeth Cox; Ode to a House by Ross Keane and Kōrero Kamaka by André Prichard.
Two entries in the Tamariki category were jointly awarded as winners – Rudy Keane for Terminal of Memories and Alara Holland for The Grand Ocean. The judges enjoyed the clarity of creative thinking portrayed in both entries. The writers each receive $500 prize money. There were no winning entries in the Rangatahi section this year.
Highly Commended – judges' comments
Honour and Control: New Plymouth Barrett Street Nurses’ Home by Elizabeth Cox
“Blends a history of a building with the history of its occupants and the country growing up around. A nicely calibrated tone that acknowledges the complicated past of the structure.”
Ode to a House by Ross Keane
“A delicate balancing act in which a building stands almost steadfast while its occupant fades away. A structurally interesting story gently told.”
Kōrero Kamaka by André Prichard
“A piece of understated writing that carefully blends personal history with a sense of architectural significance.”
We congratulate the winners and thank all entrants for their engagement with the competition.
About the judges
This year’s panel brought formidable talent to the task of judging the awards with their collective skills combining experience as writers, editors, educators, critics, mentors and architects. The panel included Jeremy Hansen, journalist, author, architecture podcaster, literary mentor and Britomart’s Director of Communications and Community; Katie Braatvedt, an architecture graduate at Glamuzina Architects, educator and last year's Highly Commended winner for ‘This is Not a Gender Issue’; and Danyl McLauchlan, an author, book reviewer and political commentator.
A book of winning and highly commended entries will be published online and in print later this year and will be available from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ website.
About the awards
The Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing is a joint venture between The Warren Trust and Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. The Warren Trust is a charitable organisation established in honour of celebrated architect Sir Miles Warren and promotes architectural education to the profession and public.