The Perry Bridge north of Hamilton on the Te Awa River Ride.
The Perry Bridge north of Hamilton on the Te Awa River Ride.
Hamilton's architectural revival is winning plaudits from around the country, with three Hamilton projects finalists in the New Zealand Architecture Awards.
The Perry Bridge north of Hamilton on the Te Awa River Ride was this week shortlisted for a major global award, the 2018 Institution of Structural Engineering Structural Awards. Previous winners include the Sydney Opera House and the Severn Bridge in the United Kingdom.
The winners will be announced in London in November.
Victoria on the River designed by Edward White Architects.
Victoria on the River park and the Mezz Box studio in the Hamilton CBD, along with the David O.McKay Stake Centre and Cultural Events Centre at the Church of the Latter Day Saints complex at Temple View were announced last week as NZ Architecture Awards finalists.
Hamilton mayor Andrew King praised the "exciting" architects in Hamilton for transforming the CBD into a more attractive location. "Victoria on the River has been absolutely fantastic. Just to get on the architect awards shortlist is incredible. It is at last connecting Hamilton to the river, and it is only the beginning."
Mr King would like to see his dream of a central city river park come true in the future to open the CBD to the Waikato River.
David O. McKay Stake Centre designed by Walker Groups Architects
"We can open that whole area up and give us a beautiful waterfront." Hamilton projects up for architectural awards
The Mezz Box is a creative studio that is cantilevered out towards the Waikato River. It is described as a "parasitic architectural gesture that clings to the existing Riverbank Lane building whilst reaching out over the new Victoria on the River Park, reflecting the daring aspirations of both client and tenant".
It would be the second accolade for VOTR and the Mezz Box if they were to win. Both were winners at the NZIA Waikato / Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards. Both were designed by Hamilton architects Edward White, whose other projects include the newly constructed Genesis Building in the CBD.
The David O.McKay Stake Centre and Cultural Events Centre, designed by Walker Group Architects, is a multi-use community building incorporating a chapel, cultural hall, teaching blocks and administration. The project was completed in September 2017, as the primary building for Latter Day Saints while the Hamilton Temple undergoes renovations for the next three years.
The Mezz Box designed by Edward White Architects.
Completed in November last year, Perry Bridge is New Zealand's first network arch bridge designed specifically for pedestrians and cyclists.
It is the longest of only four network arch bridges in the country and features mosaic artworks at each end, designed by local schools on either side. Designed by Holmes and built by Emmetts Civil Construction, the bridge is shortlisted in the Pedestrian Bridges, Construction Innovation, and Outstanding Value categories.
