Bay of Plenty buildings big winners in architecture awards

Buildings from Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Whakatāne, Taupō and Rotorua are among the 29 that received awards in the 2019 Waikato Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards.

Houses in Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Taupō also picked up wins in the housing category.

The awards jury convenor, Hamilton architect Evan Mayo, said it was encouraging to see high-quality public, commercial and educational buildings in Whakatāne, Tauranga, Rotorua and Te Awamutu.

"These buildings are real community assets, and some of them offer valuable precedents for the provision of important services," he said.

The Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre Te Whare Taonga ō Taketake, designed by Irving Smith Architects, won a Public Architecture Award.

The museum is the second stage of a project that commenced in an abandoned retail store 10 years ago.

"It is the result of planning, patience and the vision and sees a previously under-utilised city asset transformed into a well-used research and education facility."

GHD Woodhead Creative Spaces won a Public Architecture Award for Rotorua's Te Aka Mauri Children's Health and Library Hub, a combined healthcare and library facility that is a "daring move away from hospital-based health practices to holistic health and wellbeing approaches", Mayo said.

In the Commercial Architecture category, a close working relationship between Chow:Hill Architects and Trust Waikato Te Puna o Waikato has resulted in an award for the trust's new offices.

"This is a prominent new building with rich contextual character and great public visibility that draws upon the cultural histories of the site," the jury said.

"The Kollective, designed by Wingate Architects on a challenging former swamp site, is a highly considered building that sits lightly on the land," the jury said. "It is one of the first co-working platforms in Tauranga, and will surely spawn many more."

Four housing awards have gone to houses in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.

The jury described Mt Maunganui's Split House by Cummings Studio Architects as a "suburban home on a busy street that cleverly balances the provision of ocean views with appropriate levels of privacy".

Visiting the Appleford Residence, by Brendon Gordon Architects, the jury found "a comfortable and informal Mt Maunganui beach house, resplendent with natural light and generous indoor and outdoor living areas".

Designgroup Stapleton Elliot's Matua House is a "finely resolved Tauranga house lovingly crafted by an architect son into a retirement haven for his parents".

Taupō's Fraser Cameron Architects received two Housing Awards for local projects, including one for Whanarua Bay House which has a "rich aesthetic reflective of its powerful and uncompromising setting".

Fraser Cameron Architects' second winner, Kuiwai House, "successfully delivers relaxed and well-considered living spaces for the whole family to enjoy".

Xsite Architects' specification of composite panels to clad a Kinloch house "formed the basis for a cost-effective, energy-efficient and low-maintenance house".

Treetop Home (1977) at Taupō, by John Wilson Architect, received an Enduring Architecture Award, given to buildings of more than 25 years of age that have lasted well and continue to have relevance.

2019 Waikato Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards, winning projects:
Commercial Architecture
Trust Waikato Te Puna o Waikato – Office Development, Hamilton; Chow:Hill Architects
The Kollective, Tauranga; Wingate Architects

Education
The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Ngā Kete Tuku Iho – Precinct Development, Rotorua; Design Tribe Architects

Enduring Architecture
Treetop Home (1977), Taupō; John Wilson Architect

Heritage
Wiseman Central, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects

Housing
Appleford Residence, Mount Maunganui; Brendon Gordon Architects
Matarangi Cabins; CAAHT Studio Architects
Split House, Mount Maunganui; Cummings Studio Architects
Matua House, Tauranga; Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Whanarua Bay House, Taupō; Fraser Cameron Architects
Kuiwai House, Taupō, Fraser Cameron Architects
Pauanui Beach House, Johnston Architects
Aotea Harbour Holiday Home, Kāwhia; PAUA Architects
Pauanui Beach Home, Peddle Thorp Architect
Pohutukawa House, Tauranga; Stufkens + Chambers Architects
Callesen House, Kinloch; Xsite Architects

Housing – Alterations and Additions
Checkers, Pauanui; Wendy Shacklock Architects

Housing – Multi-unit
Parkhaven, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects