The 2021 Sir Miles Warren Award for Commercial Architecture was awarded by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects to The Hotel Britomart by Cheshire Architects.

Jury citation

“A successful new addition to the cityscape of Tāmaki Makaurau, the Hotel Britomart interfaces gracefully with adjacent heritage architecture, creating intricate spatial experiences for those who move through this building and the laneway it creates. Beautifully planned and executed, the hotel is a place of discovery and delight – from the architects’ reinvention of the hotel room into something clever and unusual yet luxurious, to the seamless integration of its thoughtful exterior with a rich and sumptuous materiality within. This is New Zealand’s first 5 Green Star rated hotel; the commitment and passion of client, contractor and architects to design excellence and sustainability through concept, execution and delivery has resulted in an outstanding building for Tāmaki Makaurau.”

Cheshire Architects project description

The Hotel Britomart is a 10-storey object crafted from handmade clay bricks, its rough surface punctuated by a constellation of sleekly glazed windows, its mass appears to hover weightlessly over an urban tapestry of cobbled lanes and dockside warehouses. The hotel was designed to feel as if it belongs to Aotearoa and its people, not just the guests who stay there.