The New Zealand Institute of Architects Gisborne/Hawkes Bay and Waikato/Bay of Plenty branches combined this year for their local awards ceremonies. The winners in both regions were announced on 4 May in Taupō. In total, 25 winners were named and all the shortlisted projects were honoured. See a full list of winning projects and jury comments below.

Gisborne/Hawkes Bay

Hawkes Bay architect Richard Daniels was the convenor of the region’s jury and was joined by Gavin Cooper and Renée Woods along with Wellington architect Judi Keith-Brown rounding out the jury. Four awards were given out in three categories.

Planning and Urban Design Award

Marine Parade Redevelopment by Paris Magdalinos Architects

The quality of the improvements done to Napier’s Marine Parade foreshore reserve impressed the jury. Daniels said, “The wide boardwalks and gardens, which connect with pedestrian and cycle paths and link back to the city centre, are providing new ways for people of all ages to enjoy the area and access Napier’s Ocean Beach.”

He continued, “Already, large numbers of people are enjoying this new amenity, and the quality of the work will undoubtedly enhance the region’s popularity with tourists.”

The jury comments that the project is a “rich and layered design that acknowledged both the natural and more recent human history of the Napier waterfront, while also pointing to the future by giving young people centre stage.” The site’s redevelopment included the redesign of the existing Marineland grandstand, which is now a support and spectator building for a new skate park and Daniels concluded, “The overall experience is one of inclusivity, exuberance and fun.” 

Housing Awards

Hill House by Neil Fenwick Architects

The jury described this “jewellery box” house by saying,” The house has a robust exterior, thanks to the specification of natural materials, while inside it is gem-like, alive with colour, luxurious fittings and dramatic lighting. This house is exuberant and larger than life.”

Mangatahi by Architecture HDT Hawkes Bay

This house, located west of Hastings is set on a picturesque, rural, garden setting. The layout is based around a courtyard plan that includes working facilities and storage buildings.

“At first glance, the farmhouse appears to belong to an earlier time, one in which houses grew to accommodate the needs of succeeding generations, and verandahs, gardens and sheds were added over time. However, the house itself is new, and the planning and forms of the house flow as a well-considered, interlocking series of indoor and outdoor spaces,” the jury commented.

Housing Alterations and Additions Award

Nelson House by Paris Magdalinos Architects

Of this renovation of a small, Art Deco cottage, the jury said, “This elegant and successful seaside house shows how more modest existing housing stock can be re-imagined for modern-day living. The architects have made effective use of the suburban seaside site and employed materials that evoke the tradition of the creosoted bach. From the lush-orange front door and recycled tōtara boards, the beautiful entrance sequence unfolds into a more open-plan layout that works well within the constraints of the original concrete structure.”

Waikato/Bay of Plenty 

Many projects chosen as winners of the awards have breathed new life into the downtown area of New Zealand’s fourth-largest city, Hamilton. Winners from central Hamilton join other projects hailing from Tauranga, Rotorua and Taupō this year. Architects Gavin Robins (convenor) of Taupō, Murali Bhasker of New Plymouth, and Megan Scott of Hamilton formed the awards’ jury.

Robins said, “The quality of architecture we saw throughout the region is exemplary, and we were especially happy to see the efforts being taken to reverse the decline of Hamilton’s inner city. Older buildings are being converted to accommodate modern work practices and provide new leisure opportunities for locals and visitors.”  

Planning and Urban Design Awards

Te Waimirimiri o Te Kuirau by Architecture Aotearoa

This Rotorua ‘footbaths’ project is “a thoughtfully conceived project that illustrates contemporary reinterpretations of traditional Māori building,” the jury said. 

Victoria on the River by Edwards White Architects

The amphitheatre park creates a “compelling new connection between Hamilton’s city centre and its great, although often ignored, feature: the Waikato River,” the jury said. “With its well chosen materials, stepped gardens, terraces and wide boardwalks the park creates an atmosphere of peace and calm, and can also easily host larger crowds enjoying a riverside event.” 

Housing Awards

Mary’s House by Bellbird Architect

At lake Tarawera, this project is a compact house nestled within two acres of bush. The jury commented, “The success of the design is the way it connects with bush, lake and volcano surrounds. The interior creates drama through contrast, between light, bright-white bedrooms and darker, more enclosed spaces.”

DNA House by Crosson Architects

This house has an intriguing design in which slender steel struts sit lightly on the ground, while movable screens perforated with representations of the clients’ DNA shield upper decks of the compact house.

“Amazing, outstanding, superb – this is a meticulously crafted house with exceptional personality,” the jury said.

River Retreat by Edwards White Architects

A winner of five awards this year for their work in rejuvenating the Hamilton region, Edwards White Architects, designed this residence which is “a delightful response to a narrow site.” The jury noted, “It is a wonderful example of how contemporary architecture can be integrated into the landscape.”

Walton House by John Henderson Architecture

This project, located near Tauranga, was designed to showcase the variety of timbers that the client sourced and milled on his farm. The jury said of the design, “From a cohesive collection of complementary wood tones and textures, a warm and generous environment has been created.”

Turama by RTA Studio

The designers of this house near Rotorua responded to the whakapapa of the client’s family while also responding to the landscape beyond the footprint of the site. 

“The significant contemporary home with a design informed by Maketu and Taihiti ley lines is a unique gem – a culturally significant private residence hidden in suburbia,” the jury said.

Pukemoremore House by Sumich Chaplin Architects

The jury described this house, for a site in Cambridge surrounded by mature trees, as “a sophisticated farmhouse for a modern family, designed with a timeless aesthetic.”

Interior Architecture Awards

Kenehi on Bryce by Edwards White Architects

This Genesis Building fit-out impressed the jury with its “democratic planning,” which gives the staffroom expansive views of Seddon Park, and with the architects’ attention to light and circulation. 

Seeka by Architecture Page Henderson

These offices in Tauranga “illustrate how a clean, pristine and modern approach to the refurbishment of a derelict 1970s building can increase staff satisfaction, morale and productivity,” the jury said.

53 Spring Street Interior Fitout by Stufkens + Chambers Architects

A second Tauranga office fit-out won an Interior Architecture Award for its conversion from a former bank building into a shared corporate office space. For this project, the jury said, “The architects have delivered a cosy, boutique atmosphere with well-detailed junctions between old and new.”

Heritage Awards

Wendell B Mendenhall Building by Walker Group Architects

The restoration of the Wendell B. Mendenhall Library Building was an “accomplished piece of work,” the jury said. The success of the “bright, spacious and welcoming double-height entry lobby,” was particularly noted. 

“A sense of history and identity is retained” by the incorporation of elements from the previously demolished Latter Day Saints buildings, the jury said.

Te Rau Aroha, Kai Hall by Walker Group Architects

The jury commented that the architects’ preservation and renewal of this building, with a long history of feeding multitudes, will ensure its future. “This building is an example of how heritage value can be increased with simple and honest interventions.”

George R Biesinger Building – Walker Group Architects

“As much as possible of the original building was retained, with new interventions, designed in the spirit of the original design, strengthening the building’s connection with the Temple landscape,” the jury said of this 1960s chapel. 

Education Awards

ACG Tauranga Gymnasium by Babbage Consultants

This gymnasium is designed to “stand the tests of time – and teens.” The gym was planned with flexible ancillary spaces to meet the needs of wider groups of users.

Tauranga Intermediate School by First Principles Architects

The jury commented that this school is “a good example of a well-planned modern learning environment with a variety of spaces suitable for different pedagogies.”

Commercial Architecture Awards 

Mezz Box by Edwards White Architects and Designwell in association

“Thoughtfulness pervades this new structure,” the jury said. The “intriguingly angled insertion into an existing commercial building” was prefabricated on an adjacent site before being craned into position. This project overlooks another winning project, Victoria on the River.

Genesis Building by Edwards White Architects

This building is a renovated and extended supermarket building that the jury praised for its “excellent connectivity to the city’s urban fabric,” the selection and handling of materials and the “care in sequencing the approach to and circulation throughout the building.”

Mangatawa Tari by First Principles Architects

This building is for the management and operational staff of Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks and the design was inspired by Kopukairoa, Mangatawa and Hikurangi – three whales whose stories feature in the lore of Tauranga Moana and Te Arawa iwi. The jury said the building is “functional, culturally fitting and strongly connected to a special site.”

Public Architecture Award

David O. McKay Stake Centre and Cultural Events Centre by Walker Group Architects

The jury commented that this project “is a monumental yet restrained and timeless design that reflects the history of the Latter Day Saints Church by emulating elements from the original temple.” 

Small Project Architecture Award

Promenade by Stufkens + Chambers Architects

This temporary installation, built for Tauranga Art Gallery’s Future Machine exhibition, was “a successful collaborative project designed to encourage the public to consider the role of art and architecture as integral components of dynamic cities,” the jury noted.

All winners of the 2018 Gisborne/Hawkes Bay and Waikato/Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards are eligible for shortlisting in the New Zealand Architecture Awards, which will be decided later in the year, and announced in November.