Albany student centre wins architecture award

Albany student centre wins architecture award

Massey’s student amenities building at Albany was a winner in the education category of the 2013 Auckland Architecture Awards held last night.

The $15 million building was designed by architects at Warren and Mahoney to provide a campus heart and hub in what is known as Student Central. It was officially opened in March and was described by judges as giving the Spanish Mission aesthetic of the existing campus buildings a good “shake-up”.

The awards are an official peer-reviewed programme of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. The judging panel was convened by Auckland architect Megan Rule and included architects Jane Rooney and Rachael Rush and Gus Fisher Gallery director Linda Tyler. The student amenities buidling was one of 41 winning projects. Ms Rule, said the standard of the entries is reflected in the large number of awards presented.

Judges said the amenities centre uses terracotta tiling sparingly and in an, “entirely new way to create a wide-open welcome”. They said the café areas provide a pavilion for viewing the surrounding regenerating bush, while the upstairs health and counselling rooms are screened from sight. “Robustly constructed and fashionably styled, this low-rise solution superbly complements its built and natural environment.”

In June, the centre received a merit award in the Property Council’s property industry award for the education and arts category in the same category won by Te Ara Hihiko, the creative arts building at the Wellington campus.

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