Best buildings in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay named

Buildings that respond to “stunning” natural environments or reference Napier’s rich built heritage have won awards at the 2017 Gisborne / Hawke’s Bay Architecture Awards held at Hastings Art Centre on Friday 12 May.

Sol Atkinson, convenor of the jury that visited 15 shortlisted projects, said this year’s awards were the perfect opportunity to “recognise the architect’s role in forming, and protecting, the quality of the future built and natural landscapes.”

Eleven projects received awards.

“Our jury tour commenced in Gisborne, with visits to Kāitia School and the city’s War Memorial Theatre. Although quite different, these projects both showed the importance of community support for a building project. They also demonstrated how you can embrace advancements in technology while retaining strong symbolic and physical links to their past.”

Kāitia School, designed by Architects 44, received an education award, while the Gisborne War Memorial Theatre received a public architecture award.

Another public architecture winner, Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana, designed by Tennent + Brown Architects, takes advantage of “the stunning natural environment of Lake Waikaremoana and the connection Ngāi Tūhoe has to the area,” Atkinson said.

“The expression of ahi kā – the home fires of occupation – in the charred timber entrance panels begin to tell the arduous road which led to the manifestation of the building.”

Atkinson said that many of this year’s shortlisted works occupied sites with sea or river views, and that connections to water played a strong part in the story of building.

The Waimarama Surf Lifesaving Tower, a Small Project winner designed by Paris Magdalinos Architects, “leans out over the dunes to access a full view of the beach”.

“The visual strength and positioning of the structure oozes confidence and control with all sightlines open for the surf-life saving club members.”

At Craggy Range vineyard, “meticulously crafted” luxury short-stay accommodation designed by Clarkson Architects provides visitors with framed glimpses of the Tukituki River winding down the valley. “Bare floorboards, high ceilings and painted timber linings create an atmosphere of rustic sophistication, and generous openings provide easy connection to landscaped gardens and a rejuvenated private central courtyard,” Atkinson said.

This year’s award-winning houses were all “fine examples of how architectural responses can be sculpted by the influences of wind, the views, the contours of the land, and the client’s brief”, Atkinson said.

The Robertson House, by Atelierworkshop, was designed as a response to the gently rolling vineyard landscape of Te Awanga. Underneath the home’s “large, sheltering canopy” the jury discovered a “carefully edited mix of cladding materials”.

For the design of Shoal Beach House, Gavin Cooper Architects took inspiration from beachside camp grounds and unadorned farm sheds. “The simple form of this modern beach house stands crisply against its dramatic coastal backdrop,” Atkinson said.

At Mangakuri, a bach designed by Parsonson Architects and constructed of simple and “honest” materials enjoys views down the length of the beach. “This two-storey home sits proudly amongst the native trees planted 17 years ago in anticipation of its arrival,” Atkinson said.

The history and heritage of Napier was also celebrated at the awards. Honours went to Paris Magdalinos Architects reworking of the Central Post Office, a building that survived the 1931 earthquake but, decades later, was earmarked for demolition. “With the support of the client and a key tenant, the building was saved and given a new life, with greatly enhanced accessibility”, Atkinson said.

1 Wright Street, designed by HDT architecture, was a commercial award winner. “Drawing on the woolshed building forms common in the Ahuriri precinct, these deceptively simple interventions to the building structure, utilising a considered material palette, have transformed what was a less than appealing building.

Atkinson said the “perfect finale” for the three-day tour was a visit to the Martin House, designed by the late John Scott in 1970 and nominated this year for an Enduring Architecture Award.

The house and adjacent pottery shed, still the much-loved home of potter Bruce Martin, “reinforce the importance of the architect’s role in a building project,” Atkinson said. “This enduring building has not just withstood the tests of time; it has become a valuable example of how connections can be made between people and place.”

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