A for architecture
Social housing and bespoke homes were both winners in a Wellington awards ceremony celebrating the best architecture in the region.
Two Ka¯ inga Ora social housing developments, one in Mt Cook and one in Porirua, took out both the Housing – Multi Unit awards at the Te Ka¯ hui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Wellington Awards, while 10 new houses won Housing Awards.
The Ka¯inga Ora Hanson St development of 20 one-bedroom homes in Mt Cook, by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects, and the Castor Crescent development in Porirua by Tennent Brown Architects received special mention from the awards judges.
‘‘The projects reaffirm that well-considered architecture can be achieved and enjoyed by all, not just those who can afford it.’’
Housing Award winners include Long House by Parsonson Architects. As the name suggests, this is a long, slender home that hugs the edge of a thin site between the street and a Churton Park valley.
The awards jury noted: ‘‘Perched on the edge of the valley with a strong horizontal profile, this home sits in harmony with its site, and in contrast with its two-storeyed neighbours.’’
Parsonson Architects also won an award for Garden House, a mid-century inspired home for a couple with an extensive art collection.
The Cube, by First Light Studio, built on the site of a double garage, received a Housing
Award. With a footprint of just 36 square metres, this Petone house features recycled timber from the owner’s old farm shed.
The jury noted that no space was wasted, and said: ‘‘The design successfully combines affordability, liveability and sustainability, creating a haven that must be a joy to reside in.’’
Other Housing Award winners include an environmentally friendly Paekakariki home by Bonnifait + Giesen Architects and Atelierworkshop that has been respectfully built around two clusters of mature native trees.
The Werry House, as it is known, provides sheltered northfacing courtyards and garden rooms, and was designed so every room has an outlook and sunlight.
An Enduring Architecture
award was presented to the unaltered modernist home, McKenzie House, designed by Cedric Firth of Plischke and Firth Architects. The house was completed in 1959.
Other winning projects included the Cuba Precinct Redevelopment by Athfield Architects, and the $40 million Wellington East Girls’ College Redevelopment by WSP Architecture.
A Small Project Architecture Award went to Good Books, a new bookshop designed to retrofit an existing retail space ‘‘with a focus on accessibility and inclusiveness’’. Designed by Bonnifait + Giesen Architects and Atelierworkshop, Good Books was praised as a ‘‘fine example of how an intimate design, focused on the human scale and experience, can bring a space to life’’.