Taking out the top prize was Pandora’s Letter-box authored by Will Martel. Martel completed his masters in February 2023 through Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland, Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning, and is currently working in Sydney as a graduate with Tribe Studio Architects.

Read Pandora’s Letter-box by Will Martel here.

Martel, who was awarded a Highly Commended in the 2022 Resene Student Design Awards, described his entry as a series of thought experiments, which he is still contemplating and working on. His entry was chosen from the work of 75 writers who filed their stories from across Aotearoa.

From deeply personal entries such as This is Not a Gender Issue by Katie Braatvedt (Highly Commended, open category), through to explorations of the built environment of the past, present and future, their collective mahi expressed a diversity of talent across the awards’ three categories.

Read This is Not a Gender Issue by Katie Braatvedt here.

“There were a number of entries that were highly engaging and the quality of submissions was impressive,” said the judges. “The number of tamariki submitting was heart-warming — so many young people care about the future of design. There was a level of sophistication and creativity that pushed the boundaries of what architecture is and could be,” they said.

The judging panel drew talent from the architecture, design and writing communities and included Ana Heremaia, co-founder of ĀKAU, a multi-disciplinary, not-for-profit design studio in Kaikohe; Anahera Rawiri (Ngāti Whātua), a cultural strategist and Kaihautū/Principal at Jasmax; and Sam Brooks, a journalist with The Spinoff, critic and award-winning playwright.

The annual competition, which is free to enter, provides a rare opportunity for the public to engage with architecture in inventive, meaningful and compelling ways. 

2023 Results 

Open Category

Winner: Will Martel for Pandora’s Letter-box

Highly Commended:

• Katie Braatvedt for This is Not a Gender Issue
• Christopher Schooler for Te Whare ki te Kāinga
• Ju An Teo for A Simulation of Reality

Rangatahi Category

Winner: Cameron Hartley for Cathedral

Highly Commended:

• Oshadha Perera for Shaping Lives 

Tamariki Category

Winner: Abby Middleton for A World Shaped by Architecture

Highly Commended:

• Amy Gilbert for The Perfect Design
• Charlotte Hodgson for The Ruby Door
• Bianca Losco for My Room Keeps Me Safe

A book of winning and highly commended entries will be published online and in print, which will be available from Te Kāhui Whaihanga.

About the awards

The Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing is a joint venture between The Warren Trust and Te Kāhui Whaihanga. The Warren Trust is a charitable organisation established in the honour of celebrated architect Sir Miles Warren and promotes architectural education to the profession and public.