Top Notch
01 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki by FJMT + Archimedia architects in association; 02 ANVIL by Patterson Associates Limited; 03 Knoll Ridge Café by Harris Butt Architecture; 04 MOTAT Aviation Display Hall by Studio Pacific Architecture; 05 NMIT Arts and Media Building by Irving Smith Jack Architects; 06 Novotel Auckland Airport by Warren and Mahoney Architects; 07 Studio for an Artist by Ashley Cox Architects; 08 Te Wharewaka by architecture+; 09 Government House Conservation by Athfield Architects; 10 Under Pohutukawa by Herbst Architects
Beating out stiff competition, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki by FJMT + Archimedia Architects lands top prize at the 2012 New Zealand Architecture Awards.
Twenty projects, ranging from an airport hotel to a Napier artist’s studio, were honoured at this year’s edition of the New Zealand Architecture Awards, presented by the New Zealand Institute of Architects. The winning works encompassed an impressive selection of diverse architectural gems and a clear indication that design ingenuity can truly be transmitted across all manner of formats, regardless of scale or building type.
For the Awards’ five-person jury, the calibre of the works also signified a triumph amidst tough economic times. “The Awards show that, despite financial constraints we’re all facing, public bodies and private developers are commissioning high-quality buildings,” notes Hugh Tennent, the Awards jury’s convenor.
Evident in the winning entries is a stride towards the betterment of urban environments and “a more sophisticated approach to repairing and developing our cities,” says Tennent. Winning projects also displayed a newly attuned sensitivity to site context, an attribute also seen in the restoration of the Auckland Art Gallery, this year’s New Zealand Architecture Medal recipient. Highlighting the link between building and landscape, the structure, which features well-crafted detailing and seamless transitions between new and existing elements, achieves a “well-handled connection” with its neighbouring Albert Park.
A total of twenty-one awards distributed across eight main categories, the 2012 New Zealand Architecture Awards were juried by Kiwi architects Ivan Mercep, Ginny Pedlow, Gary Lawson and Melbourne-based John Wardle.
2012 New Zealand Architecture Awards Highlights
01 Project: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki by FJMT + Archimedia architects in association
Category: Public Architecture and Heritage
Building on the delicate structure of an existing 1888 building was no small feat but the architects tasked with restoring the Auckland Art Gallery persevered – while also achieving breathtaking results. Claiming awards in the Public Architecture and Heritage categories, this inspired project also snagged the Awards’ coveted Architecture Medal.
02 Project: ANVIL by Patterson Associates Limited
Category: Commercial Architecture
Setting a bold new benchmark for car-park buildings, ANVIL holds its own amidst a busy urban area fraught with an onslaught of vehicles. With equal emphasis being placed on function and aesthetics, the glass-bedecked structure features a generous ramped upper-level walkway that allows drivers to glide into the building with ease.
03 Project: Knoll Ridge Café by Harris Butt Architecture
Category: Commercial Architecture
Dramatically sited over Mount Ruapheu, the two-chair lift ascent to this 400-seat café will forever change your expectations of going out for a leisurely cuppa. A stunning example of creative engineering and tasteful design sensibility, just about everything about the Knoll Ridge Café – from its laminated pine structure to its one-of-a-kind views – captivates.
04 Project: MOTAT Aviation Display Hall by Studio Pacific Architecture
Category: Sustainable Architecture
Making resourceful use of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), this large, naturally ventilated hall emerged as a result of extensive empirical research into “relative carbon balance and the embodied energy of various structural options.” The outcome is a beautifully designed, green-friendly showroom for a first-rate collection of vintage aircraft.
05 Project: NMIT Arts and Media Building by Irving Smith Jack Architects
Category: Public Architecture
Well in line with its programmatic requirements, this multi-level educational facility is marked by its incorporation of cutting-edge design elements, culminating in a well-appointed timber structure whose innovative aspects are matched only by that of the work and research being undertaken within its premises.
06 Project: Novotel Auckland Airport by Warren and Mahoney Architects
Category: Commercial Architecture
The awkward typology that comes about as a result of combining an airport and a hotel is a grey area that often requires a good deal of creative maneuvering on the part of designers. Distinctive touches such as splayed legs all along the exterior and a sculptural stairway make this project exemplary.
07 Project: Studio for an Artist by Ashley Cox Architects
Category: Small Project Architecture
This jewel-like project enlisted a simple strategy, giving rise to an ideal creative workspace. Fitted with three spacious platforms, ample wall space and generous skylights, the studio’s large sliding windows also allow for picturesque views into a lush garden area, eking out inspiration from the surrounding environs.
08 Project: Te Wharewaka by architecture+
Category: Commercial Architecture
Defined by its distinct combination of hipped and gabled roofs as well as its geometric cloaking of steel, the imposing Te Wharewaka building symbolises the Maori’s presence on Wellington’s waterfront after 170 years of European settlement. Emanating defiance, the structure, named after the ceremonial waka or traditional Maori watercraft it houses, appears as a stark contrast to its neighbouring Victorian buildings.
09 Project: Government House Conservation by Athfield Architects
Category: Heritage
Extraordinary attention to detail and thorough research into the Edwardian building’s history has proven to be fundamental with respect to the meticulous conservation process involved in rejuvenating the structure long housing New Zealand’s head of state.
10 Project: Under Pohutukawa by Herbst Architects
Category: Residential Architecture
Designed to fully embrace the elements, this idyllic beach house is poetically nestled amidst a throng of pohutukawa trees. Its back-to-basics simplicity seemingly masks the complexity of details underlying its design and construction while creating a harmonious balance between structure and context as well as man-made and organic elements.
