Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay region awards

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Farmers Napier by Paris Magdalinos Architects Ltd was a winner in the Commercial Architecture category. Image: Richard Brimer

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Public buildings and private homes that look to the past in order to better shape the future were among the 15 winners in the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ 2013 Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Architecture Awards, which were announced at Church Road Winery, Taradale, last night (Friday, 8 November).

“There was an exciting breadth of entries into the awards, ranging from small projects through to large public buildings,” says Napier architect Marie Fleming, the convenor of the awards jury which also included architects Chris Wilson and Les Clapcott. “It was good to see architectural quality demonstrated across projects of every scale, materiality, budget and brief.”

Two Napier projects, the Farmers store and the new wing of the Hawkes Bay Museum Theatre Gallery (HBMTG), stood out for their innovative handling of a strong architectural heritage. In a city where the Art Deco movement is enthusiastically embraced, Fleming says it was pleasing to see two buildings that gave “a definite nod to history, without blindly following a style”, and that melded well into their streetscapes.

It was also pleasing to note that where a sensitive, pure restoration was called for, such as in the strengthening of Gisborne’s St Luke’s Church, the architects had remained true to the original without feeling the need to “stamp their own personality on the project,” says Fleming.

Several houses recognised by the jury were not new builds, but alterations and additions to much-loved family homes, and Fleming says that although only one house received an award in the Sustainable Architecture category, a ‘green’ theme emerged in the awards, with every home incorporating eco-conscious elements.

Fleming says that the residences awarded in the Housing category, sited in areas from Mahia to Waipukurau, indicated that architect-designed homes are becoming healthier and more energy efficient.

“Many parts of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay experience high winds and temperatures, and the design of all buildings should take this into account. The planning in the houses we awarded is outstanding, and the architects had responded to site and weather conditions.”

“These aspects of design are increasingly important in the light of our changing climate.”

Awards were given out across six categories, with the winners being:

Commercial Architecture

Farmers Napier
Paris Magdalinos Architects Ltd

Portside Chambers, Ahuriri, Napier
Architecture HDT Hawkes Bay Limited

Public Architecture

HBMTG (Hawkes Bay Museum Theatre Gallery) New Wing, Napier
Opus Architecture

Heritage

HBMTG (Hawkes Bay Museum Theatre Gallery) Redevelopment Project, Napier
Opus Architecture

St Lukes Church Strengthening, Matawai, Gisborne
Architects A4 Ltd

Housing

Faulknor House, Westshore, Napier
Gavin Cooper Architect