Station wins design award

New station gets special acknowledgement.

A South Auckland transport hub has been recognised for mixing culture and technical requirements with a landscape architecture award.

The $28 million Otahuhu Station, opened in October last year, received an award of excellence in the Te Karanga o te Tui category at the NZ Institute of Landscape Architects Awards. Judges recognised the integrated bus and train station’s design team for ‘‘expertly weaved together multiple cultural and historic narratives, all whilst navigating a raft of complicated technical planning issues required for this complex site’’. Andrew Scoggins, Auckland Transport’s group manager major capital, says it took care to reflect the area’s cultural and historical importance in the design.

‘‘The project team worked closely with mana whenua from project inception through to its construction ... these were further refined through the use of the Te Aranga design principles,’’ he says.

Scoggins says the design worked to restore mauri (life force) and three narratives were also incorporated into the station after consultation: navigation, portage/ waka and maunga (mountains). Artists Tessa Harris, of Ngai Tai Ki Tamaki, and Graham Tipene, of Ngati Whatua Orakei, were involved in the design along with architects Jasmax.

Is this one of South Auckland’s best looking buildings, or would you have another in mind? Let us know what you think at Neighbourly.co.nz.