Two Palmerston North buildings win New Zealand Architecture Awards

Footsteps Preschool in Pitt St, designed by Parsonson Architects, has won a New Zealand Architecture Award. Photo / Judith Lacy

Two Palmerston North projects have won 2022 New Zealand Architecture Awards.

Judges praised Studio of Pacific Architecture for its careful management of the Massey University Refectory project, a 1930s-era building that needed seismic and accessibility consideration. It was crowned the sole winner of the heritage category.

Judges said heritage discoveries are sensitively retained and expressed, returning layers of history and use.

“The architects’ decision to reinstate the building’s configuration and reassemble the central volume in its original condition, using reconstructed plasterwork, lighting and decorative features, brings this heritage building back to life.”

Footsteps Preschool in Pitt St, designed by Parsonson Architects, was a winner in the education category, with the judges noting the careful and detailed designs that enhanced a place of learning and creativity.

Judges said commitment and care in the design and detail of the preschool have produced a fresh and gentle building.

“Footsteps is a delightful, calm and nurturing learning environment with children’s scale, connection and joy at its heart.”

Footsteps is owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church and is in a central commercial/retail area.

The preschool is based around a prefabricated Coresteel gable shed structure, with a section of roof raised at the street edge to mark the building’s presence, Parsonson Architects says.

Coloured panels and vertical rhythms are used to accentuate this and guide visitors into the building. Carefully placed circular windows allow the children to engage with activity in the street and vice versa. Circular motifs, playful colours and rhythmic detailing punctuate what is fundamentally a simple shed, Parsonson Architects says.

Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects awarded 29 winners from a shortlist of 47 projects. Jury convenor Andrew Irving says the jury was impressed by the quality and calibre of the shortlisted projects.

“We had a great whirlwind tour of New Zealand, assessing a series of great buildings, with talk about little else. We covered 47 projects in 12 towns and cities over 10 days,” he says.

The New Zealand Institute of Architects has operated an awards programme, in some form, since 1927. The New Zealand Architecture Awards recognise excellence and encourage architects to produce high-quality work that benefits their clients and communities.