Innholdsfortegnelse for July-August 2023 i Architecture NZ

I’VE NOTICED TWO DISTINCT GROUPS forming among architecture students I’ve been talking to concerning their use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and text-to-image generators like DALL. E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. The latter can produce images that look like photographs, paintings or drawings created by human beings. There’s the group that’s using it in a variety of ways – just another tool in their design toolbox – to come up with design ideas, sometimes to present AI-generated images of their designs. Then there’s the group that’s resisting, some actively so, not wanting to surrender their agency in the design process. I get the sense that some of them see the software as just a little bit evil. Which is not entirely surprising. Many in the field of AI see today’s software…

Warren and Mahoney has been appointed to a design consortium to deliver the museum, exhibition and civic whare buildings within Tauranga’s new $303-million civic precinct, Te Manawataki o Te Papa, along Te Papa peninsula in Tauranga Moana. The site for the cultural facility was originally a safe haven for manu whenua hundreds of years ago, when it became a place of trade and cultural significance. It also bears a history of grievances and hurt, and this project marks an historic acknowledgement, reconciliation and mutual collaboration between mana whenua and Tauranga City Council, in recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The project includes a museum for Tauranga’s heritage collection, an exhibition space, a community space and a civic whare for council meetings and cultural events. These buildings will anchor a wider…

Nanette died peacefully at her Auckland home on 13 April 2023, aged 95. A celebration of her life was held at St Joseph’s Church, Great North Road, in Grey Lynn. Amidst the glorious stained-glass windows by New Zealand modernist painter Milan Mrkusich, with Nanette’s casket painted Yves Klein Blue and bedecked with a swathe of bird of paradise flowers, friends and family recalled their experiences of knowing Nanette and how this knowing inspired and influenced their own lives. Nanette’s casket was carried from the church by her friends – members of the Nanette Cameron Interior Design Guild – and the congregation was encouraged to stand and sing along with gusto to Helen Reddy’s anthem I Am Woman. Afterwards, a funeral wake was hosted by Objectspace, where the slideshow of Nanette’s…

IF THE HISTORY OF HOUSE-BUILDING IN Aotearoa tells us anything, it’s that doing things differently is difficult. Builders are as attached to precedent as judges and banks are suspicious of any deviation from individualised lending and ownership norms. It takes uncommon persistence and resourcefulness to circumvent the obstacles blocking the adoption of new construction technologies and the realisation of communal housing initiatives. It’s not surprising that, here, the Melbourne-based Nightingale not-for-profit apartment-building model which, among other things, has liberated itself from the marketing impost levied by the real estate ‘industry’, remains as tantalisingly out of reach as a legendary desert oasis. (Nightingale retains its power to excite the design imagination, however, as it offers the shimmering prospect of architect-led development.) There have been, though, successful attempts to bypass this country’s…

Winner — Hospitality Design — CTRL Space Jury comment — Working within a challenging commercial space, the designers have created a level of hospitality layered in sophistication and storytelling that has not yet been seen in the Bay of Plenty region. Picnicka is a visual feast and a beautiful stage for an inviting food and beverage offering. Clever curation and thoughtful execution ensure its narrative is joyfully expressed in moments throughout the restaurant interior while a focus on sustainability sees local materials destined for landfill elegantly woven into the fabric of the design. project — Picnicka Tauranga client — Kim and Noel Cimadon picnicka.com design — CTRL Space ctrlspace.co.nz design team — Chris Stevens, Sam Griffin, Summer Bishop, Louis Fox, Lauren Marshall photography — Sarah Grace…

Winner — Residential Kitchen Design — Atelier Jones Design Jury comment — If Wes Anderson designed kitchens, they would look and function like this: a brilliant piece of storytelling, place-making and home-building expressed in all aspects of the work. A huge amount of care and attention has been given to all the rituals in this space and its unique, handcrafted design sits within the wider home as if it was always meant to be there. A true celebration of imagination, craft, creativity and place, the result is foodie heaven. project — Konini Road Kitchen Titirangi, Auckland client — Sam and Rosie design — Atelier Jones Design atelierjonesdesign.co.nz designer — Raimana Jones photography — Greta van der Star…

MY HOUSE TALKS TO ME. It talks of seasons in a language that I barely notice from day to day. It is both a sign language and one of irregular sounds: of distant clicks and slow sighs, often drowned by the clatter of daily domestica. Occasionally, when some activity or another gives me time to pause, I look closely at the changes creeping slowly into the house and take pleasure in measured reflection. I observe the results of slow, gentle and inexorable movement: a folding in the wall lining and buckling of the once-flat sheen of yellow paint, a door jamb chipped of paint from daily, unplanned passing encounters with a recently misaligned door. I pass these little notes the house has left me, barely seen and not considered as the…

Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington architecture graduate Ged Finch’s reusable building frame system, X-Frame, is in the running to be voted one of The Earthshot Prize’s top 15 solutions, announced later this year. Nominated for the prestigious awards in April, the circular architecture system is made from clip-together engineered wooden parts that can be assembled to create strong, self-braced and load-bearing walls or frames of any size. The geometry of the components means less material is used in building and their design allows prefabricated wall linings to be reversibly hung onto walls and removed without damaging linings or wall frames. The Earthshot judging panel said that X-Frame (already available in both Aotearoa and Australia) is leading the way in reducing CO2 emissions within the building industry. “As a…

Following tests in Ōpōtiki in April, which demonstrated that Māori construction techniques are able to withstand major earthquakes, architect and researcher Professor Anthony Hōete and Māori architectonic researcher Jeremy Treadwell plan to rebuild an historic Bay of Plenty wharenui, Tānewhirinaki. The pair, along with a wider team from the University of Auckland, used the construction technique mīmiro to create a full-scale timber structure, which they successfully tested against earthquake requirements for modern buildings. “Our seismic tests demonstrated the structure can withstand much stronger earthquakes than the Napier one that caused critical damage to the original wharenui in 1931,” said Hōete. The team designed and built the timber portals using interlocking compression joints instead of bolting parts together and then used tightened ropes to pull the structure to the ground like…

SITUATED AT TE UPOKO-O-TE-IKA-A-MĀUI, the city of Wellington is literally the eye in the head of that great fish. Wellington’s curved pedestrian promenade around the edge of the harbour has long been the envy of other cities, making walking or cycling the quickest route from A to B. Laid out in a croissant shape, with Te Papa at the junction between city and Te Aro, Tākina will now take its place next to the national museum as another sparkling dollop of jam on that tasty lunchtime pathway. Tākina has had a long and protracted genesis. Ever since Te Papa arrived at its present location, it has effectively been cut off by an urban motorway. The site opposite the museum offered the chance of linking back to the party zone of…

Winner — Workplace over 1000m2 Design — Studio Pacific Architecture Jury comment — One of Aotearoa’s oldest legal practices showcases its roots in this Wellington workplace, offering its employees a warm and welcoming space to celebrate its 150-year existence. Conveying an elegant story of tradition and legacy, the materials and spaces evoke calm and comfort. There is a clear narrative displayed in the transition towards the harbour and its surrounding hills – connecting it to its place. An open stair lined with books provides a striking spatial intervention and central link between the two floors while adaptable workspaces have been placed at the perimeter to enjoy the views. The designers have created a future-focused, non-hierarchical workplace to an exceptionally high standard and this does much to support well-being and informal collegiality within…

Winner — Civic Design — Glamuzina Architects Jury comment — Clear and contemporary in its formality yet deeply meaningful in its purpose and usage, Kā Uri is an intelligent embodiment of place and culture. The storytelling is focused on what is within the gallery spaces and framed by the fabric of the interiors. These are beautifully simple in form and materiality, with a ‘far far’ north quality of light, ensuring the function of the space becomes the main attraction: showcasing talented craftspeople and bespoke taonga, and housing a kauri workshop and kura waka. Kā Uri is so much more than a commercial gateway to Te Hiku o te Ika: it is an expression of history and restoration, and a statement of the future direction and aspirations of Ngāti Kuri. project —…

Winner — Healthcare and Wellness Design — Seear-Budd Ross Jury comment — Providing a fresh, new spatial and atmospheric signature for an established hair salon and skin spa, this sophisticated design response draws inspiration from Aotearoa’s alpine environment. The calm, restorative narrative is skilfully delivered through a minimal and pure material palette and use of colour: honed and tumbled Timaru bluestone, deep-green velvet, textured walls and velvet-stainless-steel cabinetry. A considered approach to choreography juxtaposes compression with expansion and light-filled areas with the dimly lit, cave-like spa. A beautifully executed space, which is simple in materiality and strong in concept, Stravinskij is an exercise in discipline that plays out courageously. project — Stravinskij CBD, Wellington client — Anthony Harach stravinskij.co.nz design — Seear-Budd Ross seearbuddross.com design team — Thomas Seear-Budd, James Ross photography…

Tennent Brown’s recently opened Te Whare Hononga at the Taranaki Cathedral site in New Plymouth sits alongside the country’s oldest stone church, St Mary’s (1846), and its restored colonial-era vicarage. A visitor centre and education and exhibition space, the 198m2 project formed part of the Government’s $5-million contribution towards the cathedral’s $20-million earthquake strengthening. Architect Hugh Tennent says the kaupapa of the project is one of reconciliation: the uplifting of tangata whenua on the entire site. The patterning and structure of the whare is designed to reflect the two peoples and this intention of reconciliation. The whare tells the story of Ngāti te Whiti hapū and its interaction with St Mary’s, where British forces were garrisoned during the Taranaki wars (1860–1861). The design of the timber diagrid structure reflects its…

In 2020, Studio Pacific Architecture and co-design partners Tihei were commissioned to investigate a refurbishment of the public and staff areas in Heke Puna, the National Library of New Zealand. The project was in response to the construction of Heke Rua, the new Archives building on a neighbouring site. Stage 1 of the project is the construction of a two-level bridge to join the buildings together physically. This base-isolated link bridge will provide public access between buildings on the ground floor and staff access on the upper floor. The hood of the enabling structure will accommodate the technically demanding 1.8-metre movement between the Library and Archives buildings, and introduces the taupoki and the tāniko, the first of a number of design narratives that aim to bring visibility to mana whenua…

IN 2019, GREEN SCHOOL FOUNDERS Michael and Rachel Perrett invited New Plymouth-based architecture practice Boon to design a learning hub for Year 1 to Year 13 students in Taranaki that followed the holistic Green School educational philosophy. The concept originated in Bali, where a school was opened in 2008 with the idea that cognitive function and emotional well-being could be enhanced through immersion in nature, hands-on projects and reality-based learning. Built using bamboo as the primary material, the Green School Bali was designed to be a school with no walls, dissolving the boundaries between inside and outside and provoking positive physiological responses from occupants through an immediate connection with nature. Contemplating the variable weather systems (cue Neil Finn) across New Zealand – at times a wild mix of both subantarctic…

Winner — Workplace up to 1000m2 Design — Material Creative Jury comment — Brave, bold and warm, this fitout represents a future-ready appraisal of workplace through the lens of residential design, offering an uplifting and playful work environment in what is, traditionally, a conservative profession. Post-Covid ready, the space has been designed to embrace future growth, learning, collaboration and socialisation: all key ingredients that help an organisation grow, foster, attract and retain employees. It allows for agile work and a working community to come together and enjoy coming into the ‘office’. With this multilayered, stimulating sensory experience, who says tax needs to be taxing? project — Tax Traders Newmarket, Auckland client — Tax Traders taxtraders.co.nz design — Material Creative materialcreative.co.nz design team — Liv Patience, Lorraine O’Rourke, Olivia McNeil photography — Sam…

Winner — Residential Design — Nott Architects Jury comment — Cinematic, compelling, a perfect infusion of landscape, architecture and interior – it’s almost impossible to know where one starts and the other stops. Ophir is the ultimate example of a design which truly embodies place; the land is the structure, the architecture is the interior. The warmth and simple materiality of this rammed-earth house beautifully illustrates the way in which stripping back to the basics and avoiding overwork can provide the atmosphere required of a home, while allowing you to feel fully immersed in the land. project — Ophir Maniototo, Otago client — Gary Stewart and Veronica Alkema design — Nott Architects nott.co.nz design team — Kelly Read, Charlie Nott, Gary Stewart, Veronica Alkema photography — Simon Devitt, Biddi Rowley…

Finalists — Retail Stolen Girlfriends Club Wellington Flagship Store design — Jasmax and Alt Group jasmax.com altgroup.net project — Stolen Girlfriends Club Te Aro, Wellington client — Stolen Girlfriends Club stolengirlfriendsclub.com design team — Jun Tsujimoto, Anna Hill, Emma Jepson, Dean Poole, Dean Murray photography — Thomas Seear-Budd Cellar One – Founders Cellar Cloudy Bay Vineyards design — Paul Rolfe Architects paulrolfearchitects.co.nz project — Cellar One – Founders Cellar Cloudy Bay Vineyards Blenheim, Marlborough client — Cloudy Bay Vineyards cloudybay.com designer — Paul Rolfe photography — Mike Rolfe Finalists — Workplace over 1000m2 EY Tahi design — TOA Architects toa.net.nz project — EY Tahi Wellington client — Ernst and Young ey.com/en_nz design team — Nicholas Dalton, Brendan Himona, J’Adoube Elkington, Matekitātahi Rāwiri, Gensler, Black Interiors photography — David Straight Ngāti Hine Health Trust…