NZIA Waikato/BOP Region awards announced
Projects large and small, private and public, urban and rural, have been recognised in the 2013 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards, which were announced last night (25 October) at the Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton.
The 15 award-winning buildings, which range in scale from commercial offices and a university library to compact houses and a farm shed, are located across the region, from Hamilton and Cambridge to Tauranga and the Coromandel Peninsula.
“The judging process was an intense journey,” says the convenor of the awards jury, Hamilton architect Glen McHardie. “Over three days, we visited 30 projects and had great discussions about them all.”
McHardie says several themes emerged in this year’s Waikato/Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards, which is an official, peer-reviewed programme run by the New Zealand Institute of Architects. One was the stand-out performance of the firm Wingate + Farquhar, which won five Awards, including all four Awards in the Interior Architecture category.
“By challenging the status quo of standard office fit-outs, Wingate + Farquhar are bringing flexibility and a sense of playfulness to workspaces.
“It’s a pleasing approach that adds value to the work life of employees.”
McHardie says the jury, which included architects Ken Crosson and Grant Edwards and Hamilton accountant Graham Haines, also noted a general trend towards a more sustainable architecture.
“It’s good to see the fundamental principles of energy efficiency integrated into designs and becoming the norm.”
Another gratifying result of this year’s awards, McHardie notes, was the presence among the winners of two Hamilton houses – the Smith House, designed by Rod Smith, and the Harris House, designed by Roger Walker – which were built more than 25 years ago.
“It’s important to seek out good examples of our architectural heritage, celebrate them, and learn from them.”
Awards were given out across seven categories, with the winners being:
Commercial Architecture
ANZ Business Centre (Tauranga)
Wingate + Farquhar
Mystery Creek Event Centre HQ (Hamilton)
Chow:Hill Architects Ltd
Education
University of Waikato Student Centre (Hamilton)
Warren and Mahoney Architects Ltd and AECOM in association
Interior Architecture
Cooney Lees Morgan (Tauranga)
Wingate + Farquhar
Elizabeth Cafe and Larder (Tauranga)
Wingate + Farquhar
Norris Ward McKinnon (Hamilton)
Wingate + Farquhar
Staples Rodway Accountants (Tauranga)
Wingate + Farquhar
Enduring Architecture
Harris House (1980) (Hamilton)
Roger Walker Architect
Smith House (Hamilton)
Rod Smith Architects Ltd
Housing
Beach House (Hahei, Coromandel)
McCoy + Heine Architects Ltd
Maungakawa House (Te Miro, Cambridge)
Patterson Associates Ltd
Otoparae House (Te Kuiti)
Mitchell & Stout Architects Ltd
Pipi Beach House (Whangamata)
Antanas Procuta Architects Ltd
Te Awamutu House (Te Awamutu)
Stevens Lawson Architects Ltd
Small Project Architecture
Parbhu Barn (Horotui)
Chow: Hill Architects Ltd
Sustainability
Te Awamutu House
Stevens Lawson Architects Ltd
University of Waikato Student Centre (Hamilton)
Warren and Mahoney Architects Ltd and AECOM in association
Resene Colour Award recipients
Mystery Creek Event Centre HQ (Hamilton)
Chow:Hill Architects Ltd
Maungakawa House (Te Miro, Cambridge)
Patterson Associates Ltd