Further accolades for SCION’s Te Whare Nui o Tuteata

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The Innovation Hub’s atrium features a diagrid array of diamond and triangular frames.

The Innovation Hub’s atrium features a diagrid array of diamond and triangular frames. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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The LVL dovetail node joints slot and glue together in a celebration of engineering craft.

The LVL dovetail node joints slot and glue together in a celebration of engineering craft. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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A U-shaped flexural plate (UFP) acts as an energy-dissipation device between the diagrid elements.

A U-shaped flexural plate (UFP) acts as an energy-dissipation device between the diagrid elements. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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The Hub’s entrance plaza and tukutuku-like patterned fritted glass of its eastern façade.

The Hub’s entrance plaza and tukutuku-like patterned fritted glass of its eastern façade. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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The triple-peak entrance, with machine-routed carving on the triangular facings representing the three hapū of the area.

The triple-peak entrance, with machine-routed carving on the triangular facings representing the three hapū of the area. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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The facings of the triangles feature machine-routed Māori carving patterns by local carver Grant Marunui.

The facings of the triangles feature machine-routed Māori carving patterns by local carver Grant Marunui. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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At dusk, the Hub reveals, through its triangular triple-peak entry porch, the building’s timber diagrid structure.

At dusk, the Hub reveals, through its triangular triple-peak entry porch, the building’s timber diagrid structure. Image: Patrick Reynolds

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RTA Studio and Irving Smith Architects project Te Whare Nui o Tuteata has been awarded two prizes at the prestigious 2021 Architecture MasterPrize.

There seems to be no stopping crown research entity SCION’s global accolades, as the awards continue to roll in for the design of the organisation’s Innovation Hub in Rotorua.

Having won both the Jury Award and Popular Choice Award in the 2021 Architizer A+Awards Architecture +Wood category in July, the RTA Studio and Irving Smith Architects project went on to receive the Building Award at the 2021 INDE Awards for Indo-Pacific countries in August, along with an Honourable Mention in The Influencer Award.

Now, the NZIA Local award-winner and National awards candidate Te Whare Nui o Tuteata has been named a winner in the Commercial category and ‘Best of the Best’ in the Green category of the 2021 Architecture MasterPrize (AMP).

The US-based MasterPrize honours designs in the disciplines of architecture, interior design and landscape architecture, with the goal of advancing the appreciation of architecture worldwide. For its sixth edition, the Architecture MasterPrize received its highest number of submissions yet, judged by a jury made up of 73 top designers, architects, curators and academics.

“We’re super honoured to have been recognised in the ‘Best of the Best’ in the Green category and a win in the Commercial is fantastic,” says RTA Studio principal Rich Naish. “In this week of COP26, the recognition of sustainability and carbon neutrality in the building sector could not be more relevant. We’re proud to be able to make a global contribution to the Climate Emergency.”


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