Three through to national awards
13 May 2017
Kaiti School classrooms, the War Memorial Theatre and Waikaremoana's visitor centre are shortlisted for national architecture awards.
NATIONAL AWARD CONTENDERS: The Gisborne War Memorial Theatre, new classrooms at Kaiti School (pictured) and a Waikaremoana visitors centre have come top of their categories in the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ regional awards and are in the running for a national award.
Pictures supplied
Three buildings from the Gisborne-Wairoa region shortlisted for the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ (NZIA) branch awards have won their categories and are now contenders for the national awards.
Designed by Shand Shelton, the Gisborne War Memorial Theatre won the public architecture category in Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay region branch awards. Kaiti School’s Wharekauri, designed by Architects 44, won this region’s educational category, while Tennent + Brown Architects’ visitor centre Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana is also in the running for a national award.
“Our jury tour commenced in Gisborne, with visits to Kaiti School and the city’s War Memorial Theatre,” said jury convenor Sol Atkinson. “Although quite different, these projects both showed the importance of community support for a building project. They also demonstrated how you can embrace advancements in technology while retaining strong symbolic and physical links to their past.”
The Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana design takes advantage of Lake Waikaremoana’s natural environment and of the connection Ngai Tuhoe has to the area, he said.
“The expression of ahi ka — the home fires of occupation — in the charred timber entrance panels, begin to tell the arduous road that led to the manifestation of the building.”
• The 2017 Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Architecture Awards were held at Hastings Art Centre yesterday. National award winners will be announced in November.
