2023 John Scott Award winner: Te Pae North Piha Surf Life-saving Tower

Click to enlarge
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

1 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

2 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

3 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

4 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

5 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Supplied

6 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

7 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

8 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

9 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

10 of 11
Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects.

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image: Sam Hartnett

11 of 11

Crosson Architects’ small but heroic lifeguard tower in the sand dunes is as much a coastal sculpture as it is an emblem of patrol and protection.

Jury Commentary

Named Award citation:

“Sometimes functional and pragmatic buildings can elicit a business-as-usual architectural response. This is anything but. Much of the materials and labour were gifted by the locals, reflecting a generosity of spirit in a small community. Te Pae, as it catches the light following the path of the sun and becomes a brooding presence at night, now stands as a guardian embodying a true spirit of place.”

Winner – John Scott Award for Public Architecture: Te Pae lifeguard tower by Crosson Architects. Image:  Supplied

Small Project Award citation:

“Aotearoa’s wild West Coast has claimed many lives over the years, making a fit-for-purpose lifeguard tower a critical piece of the community’s infrastructure. With a history of their towers succumbing to the extremely harsh marine environment, form and material selection were paramount for the largely volunteer surf life-saving teams. The selection of black oxide pre-cast circular concrete pipe sections stacked upon one another, not only deflects the wind, but provides a strong response to the context of the local black sands. A very functional and safe spiral staircase leads to the cantilevered watch house, its operable ribbon windows, like a pair of wraparound Westie sunglasses, providing views up and down North Piha’s rugged surf coast.”

Project team:

Ken Crosson, Jerome Buckwell, Sam Knight.

crosson.co.nz

The New Zealand Architecture Awards receive generous support from Resene, a steadfast sponsor of the program since 1991, and APL, which commenced its sponsorship of the awards in 2021.


More awards