Six projects were honoured at the New Zealand Institute of Architects Gisborne/Hawkes Bay branch local awards on Friday, 17 May. 

Napier architect Tess Fenwick was the convenor of this year’s awards jury, and she was joined by fellow Napier architects David Wright and Alison Miranda and Auckland architect Paul Clarke.

Fenwick noted of the winning projects, “The houses add to Hawkes Bay’s already strong reputation for high quality, well planned and thoughtful residential architecture and the two winners in Gisborne show that local stories and culture can be interwoven into important buildings in meaningful ways.”

Winners: Housing

Durham Drive House by Clarkson Architects

The jury called this home “a confident expression of the owner’s brief”. They continued, “There is joy to be found in the spaces and forms, especially in the clearly defined entry with strong precast walls and canopy, and the dark-stained cedar and concrete block walls that anchor the house to sit in the olive-grove surrounds.”

Waimarama Bach by Dwell Architecture

“The success of this project lies in its ability to embody the values of a traditional bach and holiday lifestyle. The architecture is clean and efficient but not without character,” the jury said. “Surely there are few better spots to immerse oneself in New Zealand’s coastal landscape.”

River House by Dwell Architecture

“Inside…the architect has clearly considered – and attended to – all the elements required for well-ordered family life, no matter what the season,” the jury noted of this house, which is sited on a plateau with views of Te Mata Peak. 

Bay View House by Slessor Architects

The jury commented: “The seaside house has many successful aspects but none is greater than the architect’s solution for a complex brief. The house accommodates a home and a busy business in a series of intimately scaled spaces that open up in the best places and in the best ways to celebrate family life and beachside living.”

Winner: Commercial Architecture

Gisborne District Council Administration Centre Te Kaunihera o te Tairāwhiti – Awarua by Chow:Hill Architects

“It is a storybook of the region and a building that the people of Gisborne should rightly treasure,” Fenwick said. “From the well-defined entrance, which is flanked by a double-hulled waka, through to the welcoming, airy foyer and the modern working environments, Awarua is reflective of community, culture and history and responsive to the needs of a contemporary workforce.”

Winner: Public Architecture

H. B. Williams Memorial Library Extension by Chow:Hill Architects

The jury commented that this “well-crafted extension to a Gisborne landmark adds a distinctly local feel to an elegant, modernist treasure. While much is made of the library’s value in the digital age, this building, with its strong civic presence and light-filled and open spaces, makes an excellent case for the on-going provision of high-quality public spaces.” 

All winners of the 2019 Western Architecture Awards are eligible to win the New Zealand Architecture Awards, which are announced in November.