Innholdsfortegnelse for November-December 2020 i Architecture NZ

IN THIS TIME OF UNPRECEDENTED change amidst the Covid pandemic, not forgetting a transformational election result for Aotearoa, it’s not surprising that all manner of experts are making all manner of predictions about the future. See, for example, London starchitect Norman Foster’s musings to the United Nations Forum of Mayors in Geneva in mid-October when he predicted that sustainable buildings could become mainstream. Foster’s thesis is that architectural change moves in big arcs of history, where big events simply accelerate change that was always going to happen: e.g. the Great Fire of 1666 (building codes and fireproof brick) and the cholera epidemic of the mid-19th century (the birth of modern sanitation). Other architects see architectural change that was not already happening arising directly from Covid. Sergey Makhno predicts a dramatic…

In response to the local iwi’s call to “bring the community together where the land rolls into the ancestral waters of the Rangitīkei”, Architecture Workshop’s new Te Matapihi Bulls Community Centre provides both a landmark structure for the town and a striking gateway to the Rangitīkei District. Opened on 25 September, the 1110m2 building has been designed to cater for the needs of a number of groups, through the provision of multi-use, subdivisible spaces. In addition to the regional hall and rooftop pavilion, there are facilities for children, Plunket, a toy library and mothers’ groups, as well as a library. The Life & Friendship Club offers the elderly a seated, newspaper-reading area, spaces for talks, a large terrace and a kitchen; an i-Site, toilets, WiFi and e-car recharger are provided…

The Christchurch Town Hall’s outstanding international and national significance has been recognised by its entry as a Category 1 Historic Place on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor Robyn Burgess says that, over the past 15 years there has been an effort within Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga to increase the number of modern movement buildings on the list. “Sadly, many in Christchurch were lost as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010–2011; this is why it is doubly pleasing to see the Christchurch Town Hall, fully repaired and restored, now recognised as a Category 1 Historic Place.”…

Architecture NZ’s Interior Awards 2020 ceremony took place at Auckland’s St Matthew-in-the-City on 8 October 2020. The sold-out event gathered more than 300 guests from the architecture and design professions as well as their clients and project collaborators, who came to witness the announcement of this year’s winners in 10 categories. “It is fair to say that, since this is the first large event in Auckland after the second lockdown, everyone here seems to be basking in the chance to see colleagues and friends,” said the awards’ convenor and Architecture NZ’s interiors editor Federico Monsalve. “It is a great atmosphere and chance to celebrate our industry and its role in a post-pandemic future.” The Project’s Jesse Mulligan was the emcee for the night, and entertainment was provided by the Auckland…

THE ARRIVAL AT THE 180M SILVERY-GLASS tower, topped with its distinctive curved foil, begins at the corner of Albert and Customs Streets, one of multiple entries to Auckland’s $1-billion downtown office and retail development known as Commercial Bay. The space is glass walls and footpath canopies: small, a kind of ante-lobby off the street. Inside, there’s the obligatory suspended artwork/sculpture and surrounds of glitzy floor and wall finishes – imported Atlantic granite and Italian travertine. Very corporate but also a tasteful match to the building podium’s beige Jura limestone cladding. Beneath one’s feet are the two underground tunnels of the City Rail Link beginning to curve their way from Britomart Station to the cut-and-cover trench of Albert Street – tunnels that have played a significant part in a public space…

The New Zealand Architecture Awards jury, led by Auckland architect Michael Thomson and including fellow architects Lynda Simmons, Fiona Short and Anthony Hoete, hit the road in September, shortly after the Auckland region came out of its second Covid-19 lockdown. Travelling from Whangārei to Wanaka, the jury visited the 45 projects short-listed in the 2020 iteration of the annual awards programme, run by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects.…

NZIA architects JUSTIN EVATT, HAMISH BOYD, MEILING HONSON Project team ANGELA MAKGILL, AVERIL MOORE, BRENDAN HIMONA, CALLUM DOWIE, CHRIS DAVIDSON, CLEM DEVINE, CLIVE MITIKULENA, DANIELLE KONI, DEAN STEWART, DIPAK PATEL, DON FRASER, ELISAPETA HETA, JEROME PARTINGTON, JITENDRA SAMI, KATE LARKIN, LONETONA PEATO, MELODY YOUNG, NICK JOHNSTON, PAIGE DUONG, ROHAN PACKARD, SARAK KIRK “The architecture thus responds impressively to the school’s pedagogical approach and to an extensive process of community engagement.” Jury Commentary MICHAEL THOMSON, LYNDA SIMMONS, FIONA SHORT AND ANTHONY HOETE Can you place 1400 students in one large space and conduct 40 different classes at once? In the main building of this rebuilt high school, evidently you can, and that is not to mention the activities in the library and a slightly separated gymnasium. The architects have responded to…

Location CENTRAL OTAGO Project team ANNA-MARIE CHIN, NGAIO HART, SAM AUSTIN, KRISTIN DARBY “A strong client–architect partnership underlies the design and construction of this seamless, well-proportioned addition to an existing (relocated) cottage. Subtle shifts from old to new run through the entire project. Found materials have been revitalised and (re)composed alongside new elements, yielding a texturally rich result that defies any time-frame definition. The single device that connects them all is a glass-and-timber bridge, which straddles a creek and also seems to straddle time. Minimalist detailing confirms the bridge’s contemporary construction, yet the feel of its interior is so established that it suggests it could be the oldest ‘found object’ on the site. This addition is a beautiful pause between related worlds.”…

Location REMUERA, AUCKLAND Project team PAUL CLARKE, BRETT GERRARD, ASH KUMAR, LEA KOCH “An architect’s own house can sometimes fall into the trap of being too overtly a testing ground for a myriad of ideas. But, on this private garden site, we have a skilful, liveable house that reflects the character of its owner/architect – ordered, flexible and cheerful. The various spaces – parents’ wing, children’s tower and common living spaces – all have their own characters and materiality but are brought together in an effortless and accommodating fashion, enlivened by a love of technical trickery expressed in the glazing and shading devices. One can feel the ease of slipping down the driveway to this secluded encampment and finding any number of excuses to work from home in the morning.”…

NZIA architect CRAIG MOLLER Project team ALISHA PATEL, GORDON MOLLER “The Hihiaua Cultural Centre asks not what architecture is in terms of materiality, but what architecture can do in terms of social value.” Jury Commentary MICHAEL THOMSON, LYNDA SIMMONS, FIONA SHORT AND ANTHONY HOETE The Hihiaua Cultural Centre asks not what architecture is in terms of materiality, but what architecture can do in terms of social value. Embracing the adjoining industrial estate vernacular, this whare as warehouse incorporates a Whare Toi, for Māori arts and craft, and a Whare Waka, for canoe restoration. The latter space belies the project’s identity by eschewing Western notions of floor in favour of (earthen) ground. As with a traditional whare, the Hihiaua Cultural Centre has what one can read as a mahau, or porch.…

I WENT TO A CLAMBAKE THE other day: a gathering not far under a Covid-mandated maximum crowd size. We were gathered to talk about Queen Street. Despite it being billed as a co-design session, it seemed only Tony van Raat and I represented designers though, perhaps, there was a raft of related trades lurking in the crowd of property owners, users, residents of the valley and several bureaucrats from city hall. For those who have not ventured north for a while, the street is in pretty bad shape, bearing the impact of an increasing number of buses, evicted from their normal routes by the rail tunnel work on Albert Street. There is also a bewildering number of ad hoc additions, apparently to create room for masked pedestrians giving one another…

In your hospitality work, you have often tried to maintain a fairly minimal palette. How do you ensure there is vibrancy and tension within that? I tend to work with a limited colour palette, with variety in the material expression. So, at Ahi, there is a predominance of timber but of many species, and of many textures. We see timber ‘raw’ (in the weathered and sawn slats woven across the ceiling), ‘cooked’ (literally burnt: the larch on the walls and the backs of the banquettes) and ‘cut’ where the clean, dressed timber is expressed (on the countertops and the inside faces of the banquettes). To avoid monotony, we chose to introduce quite a hard acid green in the form of the chair fabrics – this is the dynamic antidote to…

PACIFIC ISLAND ARCHITECTURE IS increasingly talked about and illustrated but what is it? In the past, it has consisted of gestures and motifs in an attempt to appeal to a certain regional relevance, in spite of regionalism having attracted continued theoretical criticism. One of the issues is the question of what constitutes a region.1 There is something strange about a Pacific regionalism that consists of ocean stretching from pole to pole and covering one-third of the surface of the planet. However, for maritime people, the ocean between islands is not necessarily a barrier but, instead, a connection. Epeli Hau’ofa talks of ‘a sea of islands’ and proposes: “It is probably true to say that no major geographical region in the world is as integrated as the South Pacific. We are,…

ONE IS A TAD GATSBY, THE OTHER A BIT Hotere. One was aiming to be fine dining without the fuss, the other feels comfortable towing the line between fine-casual restaurant chain and flamboyant cocktail bar. One of the challenges, however, has more to do with casino hospitality interiors (à la Learning from Las Vegas) than it does with mall food courts: how to behave like sophisticated, destination restaurants without dismissing the more casual foot traffic that the retail precinct could potentially dish up (window-shoppers, office workers and those-formerly-known-as tourists). Both restaurants were designed in a pre-Covid world, their construction halted and restarted within the same pandemic. Ahi – an expensive labour of love for its owner/chef – was forced to ask some very serious questions about the future of hospitality…

NZIA architect EVŽEN NOVÁK Project team JULIET BARKER, SARAH BERRY, SIMON HARDY, SAMANTHA ZONDAG Jury Commentary MICHAEL THOMSON, LYNDA SIMMONS, FIONA SHORT AND ANTHONY HOETE When the building is approached by either air or road, the first view of it is of the striking, folded-timber roofscape with mountains in the background. It is a bold design gesture that signifies a brave vision for Nelson and for sustainable airports. As one enters the terminal, tall, bare timber columns draw the gaze up towards the faceted, triangulated timber ceiling and underside of the roofscape: a composition that showcases local expertise in timber fabrication. The architects have been restrained in their selection of materials; they chose to make the most out of every part of the building. Structural materials provide both acoustic performance…

Location TAURANGA CBD Project team NEIL MARTIN, MARIANNE RILEY, JANE RICKIT, RAMEKA ALEXANDER-TU'INUKUAFE, CHAD BISHOP, DAVID INGLEY, GABRIELLA KOPACIKOVA, SAM LAU, NIKI LAWRENCE, PAUL LELIEVELD, CLAIRE O'SHAUGHNESSY, ROB PARK, SAMANTHA RAMOS, MICHELLE TEUTENBERG, MIKE THOMAS “Even with the new paradigm of Zoom teaching, we still need physical teaching spaces. This project is a game-changing university campus building that gathers diverse faculties spread around the city into a new purpose-built home. The design was carried out in full partnership with Ngāi Tamarāwaho and artist Whare Thompson, and integrated with Tauranga Council’s streetscape works. The clear articulation of the building layout, the integration of artworks, both internally and externally, and the heroic interior spaces and exterior courtyard/atea have created an inspirational learning environment and a clear basis for the future growth of…

Location AUCKLAND CBD Project team MAGGIE CARROLL, JESSICA WALKER, NATHAN SWANEY “A palette of subtle materials has been skilfully curated to create a beautiful space in which to work. Every detail is carefully considered, from the numerous bespoke furniture pieces to the seamless closure of the automatic moveable timber wall panels. Common materials are re-imagined and used in new combinations with aged brass, waxed-paper cupboard fronts and various marbles. The detailing creates a sense of richness and utmost delight at every junction. The architects have created a space where art and function meld seamlessly.”…

Location WAIHEKE ISLAND Project team ANDREW PATTERSON, SURYA FULLERTON, DAVOR POPADICH, SAJEEV RUTHRA, CALEB GREEN, RATANUI FRASER, SHANE TAYLOR, HARRIET MILDON KING “Waiheke – the building, not the island – is the house manifest as roof. Consider a 60-metre glulam timber structure which is nearly as long as Eden Park’s rugby paddock is wide; this massive overhead roof slab levitates so as to hover cunningly a ‘mere’ three metres above the single level of naturally lit living. Pause, too, in order to appreciate that the roof depth is the same as the height of the living space below – solid compressing void. Imagine, then, how this roof oversails the interior by five metres to create a ‘panodrama’, engulfing Motutapu, Rangitoto and the Motuihe channel. Needless to say, the entry is…

Location GISBORNE Project team SAROSH MULLA, KATHERINE O'SHAUGHNESSY, JEREMY SALMOND, DAME ANNE SALMOND, RYAN THOMPSON “Feeling as though it has sprung up organically through time, the shelter is, in fact, the product of generous donations of labour (88 volunteers) and materials (88 suppliers), made to promote the stewardship of our natural environment. In the tradition of the picturesque, an elegant canopy floats over three rough-hewn boxes, carefully positioned to frame views. There is a certain frisson in the contrast of the techniques and tastes of leisured English travellers of the 18th century and an environmental restoration programme for the untamed New Zealand bush, which helps elevate this small collection of structures into something quite special and timeless.”…

THE PRESIDENT OF TE KĀHUI WHAIHANGA New Zealand Institute of Architects enjoys the annual privilege of giving formal recognition to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to architecture in New Zealand. NZIA President’s Awards may be given to Institute members for their achievements in their practices or service to their profession, or, outside the Institute, to people who have supported the profession or the wider cause of architecture. These endeavours commonly have beneficial effects that extend beyond architectural projects and touch the lives of many people in our communities. This year, I am pleased to bestow NZIA President’s Awards on Fiona Christeller, Bruce Petry, Robin Skinner and Megan Wraight and her colleagues at Wraight + Associates. Bruce and Megan have both passed away, Megan very recently. I feel it…

Installed across the entirety of the upstairs galleries of Christchurch’s Toi Moroki, Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA), this large-scale, immersive installation from Pac Studio, in collaboration with University of Auckland senior lecturer in design and architectural media Dr Marian Macken, highlights the rapidly changing ways in which architects draw and visualise their designs. In one gallery, lights are projected onto and within a large rotating arm, which is pinned to the wall and throws shadows onto the walls and floor as it scribes an arc across the space. It is read as a drawing device, and light and shadow are lines in space, creating drawings which visitors inhabit. Another gallery is devoted to the projection of the short film Penumbral, directed by Brendan Donovan, Sarosh Mulla and Aaron Paterson, which…

NEW ZEALAND IS IN THE HABIT OF reinventing the wheel and, in our bloody-minded, NIMBY way, we have to discover our own particular culture of living closer together.1 Hobsonville, the most recent and, to my mind, the most successful suburban development in New Zealand, set cautious density goals. The master plan aspired only to increase the density from the mythological quarter-acre section of 10 dwellings a hectare to 40 dwellings a hectare – the same sort of density prevalent in the turn-of-the-century heritage suburbs of Wellington’s Mount Victoria and Auckland’s Freemans Bay. Baby steps. But steps for us, nevertheless. The completion of three- and four-storey residential in the Hobsonville retail centres has subsequently increased the overall density. To put this in an international perspective, the minimum density in the UK…

Location ASHBURTON Project team TOM ROSS, METHIN WONG “The history of architecture has always privileged rooms of grandeur: the chamber, the parlour, the library, the hall. The modest toilet never got a sniff in. With the Bathroom Pavilion in Ashburton, architecture’s nether region becomes a space that affords the traveller not merely with convenience but, more surprisingly, with delight. Offering respite from the cooped-up confinement of the commute, the pavilion is entered not from the rear but frontally and centrally, with the arrival promenade organised so that one’s vista terminates on a grazing alpaca. A fritted glazed canopy means business can be transacted practically alfresco upon one of the impressive Japanese techno-pans.”…

NZIA architect MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN Project team BULL O’SULLIVAN ARCHITECTURE: BAZ CHENG BUILDER AND CLIENT: ALISTAIR TOTO, BROWNTOWN BUILDERS Jury Commentary MICHAEL THOMSON, LYNDA SIMMONS, FIONA SHORT AND ANTHONY HOETE From the moment one approaches Toto Whare, it is evident that a warm welcome will be extended, not just to an Awards jury visit, but as an each and every day ritual. To start with, the orange corrugated cladding foregrounds the house from its more reticent neighbours. A golden welcome mat then blazes out ‘Kia Ora’ and, near the entry, an extensive whānau photo gallery illustrates whakapapa and serves as a reminder that a whare and its whānau are inseparable. And, if by now it’s not clear that this house is not just lived in, but loved up, experience the polychromatics…

Location TUTUKĀKĀ COAST, NORTHLAND Project team BELINDA GEORGE, MANDENO DESIGN “As architects, we are rightly enamoured of geometry – the circle, the square, the diamond, the octagonal plan – but regular forms can bring their own problems. At this house, the possible tyranny of the perfect semicircle is neatly subverted by the casualness of the spaces created under the sheltering roof. As with a series of timber tents, movement between the bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas involves using the exterior deck. Deliberately turning sideways to the view, the house wraps around a circular court, enclosed by the house and a stand of trees, to create a relaxed-yet-ordered environment for holiday gatherings.”…

Location HOBSONVILLE, AUCKLAND Project team MANUEL DIAZ, TERRY BARNES, SEAN BELLING, LANA LAI, ANDY LIU, CHARLOTTE FARQUHARSON, JOHN BERRIDGE “The Grounds is a thoughtfully articulated answer to the challenge of low-cost, medium-density housing in Auckland, and proves that well-designed housing can elevate a neighbourhood and build a sense of community. The street frontage determines a strong-yet-welcoming relationship with the public realm. The generous use and carefully considered grain and depth of screens are carefully balanced to offer privacy while establishing a shared identity that engenders community pride. The building uses New Zealand timber for the extensive and iconic batten screens, CLT construction and low-cost timber stairs. The Grounds is an attractive proposition that sets a benchmark for low-carbon, low-cost, medium-density living for the next generation.”…

Location NAENAE, LOWER HUTT Project team EWAN BROWN, HUGH TENNENT, THOMAS SHERIDAN, MAURICE PIPSON, LINDA WONG, TRENT ISAAC, NICK WENHAM, CHARLOTTE STEWART “If Santiago Calatrava ever came to Naenae, he would struggle to execute the affordable, lightweight, tensile structural gymnastics bestowed upon the Naenae Regional Bowling Club. In what may be the nation’s best bowls facility, the former outdoor greens remain but are now augmented by an international-sized, 2,500m2 covered rink. Yet it is not only the Instagram moment of the square-based, arced xanadome, with its techno-oculus, that delights; the less-heroic ancillary clubhouse is an exemplar of socially valuable architecture, with its bistro, RSA and healthcare centre all enjoying their rub of the green.”…

OKAY, AS REQUESTED, SOME WORDS ON the experience of the 2020 NZIA New Zealand Awards jury. Easy. Great privilege. Check. Great projects. Check. Great jurors. Check. Minor differences of opinion. Check. But this most bizarre of all years was not all easy. The New Zealand Architecture Awards programme nearly became a Covid casualty. In April, it had been pretty much decided to abandon the awards this year but, thanks to the efforts, in the main, of NZIA’s events and communications directors, we completed the judging of the Local Awards remotely in anticipation of visiting in person for the National Awards. All went to plan and we (the jurors) were set for our short-listing on 11 August. Yeah, right – another Zoom gathering, in advance of the 12 August lockdown in…