The 2020 Sir Miles Warren Award for Commercial Architecture went to the Nelson Airport Terminal by Studio Pacific Architecture, which judges said was “a delight to experience”.

Studio Pacific Architecture’s bold design gesture creates a striking, sculptural gateway for the Nelson region.

Jury citation

When the building is approached by either air or road, the first view of it is of the striking, folded-timber roofscape with mountains in the background. It is a bold design gesture that signifies a brave vision for Nelson and for sustainable airports. As one enters the terminal, tall, bare timber columns draw the gaze up towards the faceted, triangulated timber ceiling and underside of the roofscape: a composition that showcases local expertise in timber fabrication. The architects have been restrained in their selection of materials; they chose to make the most out of every part of the building. Structural materials provide both acoustic performance and architectural finish. The building is a delight to experience and a celebration of regional New Zealand.

Studio Pacific Architecture project description

Nelson Airport Terminal is a new, large-span timber building, 105 metres long and 36 metres wide, overlooking the existing airport apron with a backdrop of Tasman Bay and the Western Ranges. The brief was for an airport terminal that operated efficiently and sustainably, as both a transportation hub and a viable business. It was to express its identity through its connection to the landscape and use of local materials and anticipate future growth through its modular design and flexible plan with minimal columns.

The terminal consists mainly of a ground floor, with mezzanines at either end for offices and lounges. Internal ‘pods’ that float beneath the roof house operational, retail and hospitality facilities. Curtain-wall glazing and metal cladding wrap the building and an elevated concrete slab offers protection from flooding. Through its rhythmical pattern, the complex roof references the surrounding mountain ranges. The use of locally sourced and manufactured laminated veneer lumber timber as a resilient, seismic structure and form-giver is integral to the aims of the design and, along with natural ventilation, using a stack effect, is the principal environmental strategy pursued in the project.

The roof is split through the centre of the building to create large windows; high-level openings and low-level actuated windows encourage air buoyancy. Along the north façade, external canopies act as plenums, discharging warm air, providing solar shading to the interior and reducing the extent of glazing on the façade.

See all the winners from the 2020 New Zealand Architecture Awards here.

Click here to read Jeremy Smith’s full feature on the Nelson Airport Terminal from Architecture NZ.