Top New Zealand architects receive country's highest honor at NZ Architecture Awards

Twenty-two buildings were announced as winners of New Zealand's premier architectural design competition at an Awards dinner at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre. The awards recognize the best work across all the types of projects designed by the country's architects.  

Fifty-one buildings, in locations spanning the country from the Bay of islands to Queenstown, were shortlisted, out of which 22 were chosen. Among the winners of the 2017 New Zealand Architecture Award, were a stunning addition to a celebrated chapel, an architect's own unique private home and a fancy golfing lodge.

Four of the winning projects received further acknowledgement in the form of category awards—housing, commercial, education, and public—named for outstanding New Zealand architects. 

The John Scott Award for Public Architecture went to Bishop Selwyn Chapel, a pavilion extension to Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, Auckland, designed by Fearon Hay Architects. “The exquisite chapel is a sensitive insertion into a site with two strong but disparate existing buildings,” the awards jury said. “The ambition of the concept has been matched by the quality of its realisation. The chapel is one of the outstanding works of recent New Zealand architecture.” 

The Ted McCoy Award for Education was presented to Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana, a visitor centre and “living building” project developed by Ngāi Tūhoe and designed by Tennent and Brown Architects. “Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana is the product of a holistic process in which sensitive design and considered siting are complemented by a thoroughgoing commitment to sustainable principles,” the jury said. “The building is an impressive expression of Ngāi Tūhoe’s identification with their land and its history, and an excellent medium for the transmission of knowledge about a place and its people to visitors from around the world.” 

The Sir Ian Athfield Award for Housing went to a house in the Auckland suburb of Point Chevalier, designed by Guy Tarrant. The house—the architect’s own—is “a welcome departure from suburban convention”, the jury said. “It engages boldly with the street in order to provide a courtyard plan ideally suited to Auckland’s climate, and a strong but generous public presence goes hand in hand with a sheltered and most liveable private realm.” 

The Sir Miles Warren Award for Commercial Architecture went to Patterson Associates’ The Lodge at Kinloch Club, a building that provides hospitality and upmarket accommodation at a golf course near Taupo. The jury praised the architects for taking “full advantage of a spectacular site and creating a richly atmospheric building that offers a luxurious guest experience – the massing of the building, positioning of views and detailing have a common excellence.”

Scroll down to see the full list of winners and a selection of our favorites.

Commercial

• South Bloc, Hamilton by Edwards White Architects
• Kauri Timber Building, Auckland by Fearon Hay Architects
• SGA Studio and Workshops, Auckland by SGA – Strachan Group Architects
• Mason Bros., Auckland by Warren and Mahoney Architects

Education

• New Law & Management Building, University of Waikato, Hamilton by Opus Architecture  
• Tarawera High School, Kawerau, RTA Studio

Enduring Architecture

• 151 Queen Street (1992), Auckland by Peddle Thorp Aitken

Heritage

• Australis Nathan, Auckland by Peddle Thorp
• Christchurch Arts Centre Clock Tower & Great Hall by Warren and Mahoney Architects

Interior Architecture

• Faraday Street Studio, Auckland by Fearon Hay Architects

Housing

• The Kinloch Club, Kinloch by Patterson Associates
• Hamilton Family Home, Arrowtown by Bull O’Sullivan Architecture
• Town House, Cambridge by Christopher Beer Architect
• Courtyard House, Auckland by Guy Tarrant Architects
• Paoneone, Bay of Islands by Patterson Associates
• Herne Bay House Alteration, Auckland by Gerrad Hall Architects

Small Project Architecture

• Waiheke Gateway Pavilion by Stevens Lawson Architects

Public Architecture

• Lesieli Tonga Auditorium, Auckland by Bull O’Sullivan Architecture
• Chapel Street Centre by Dalman Architects
• Bishop Selwyn Chapel, Auckland by Fearon Hay Architects
• St John’s Church, Hamilton by MOAA Architects
• Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana, Lake Waikaremoana by Tennent+Brown Architects