Record Number of Entries for Architects’ Awards

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EMBARGOED TO 6.30PM, 28 OCTOBER 2000

Record Number of Entries for Architects’ Awards

2000 NZIA-Resene Local Architecture Awards for Southern Branch announced at Rydges Hotel, Queenstown

While there was a record number of entries for new buildings in this year’s New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA)-Resene Southern Local Awards, an older building also won acclaim.

Thirty entries were received this year, with Invercargill, Central Otago, Dunedin and north Otago all being represented in the final awards. Nine Architecture Awards were given, one Colour Award and, for the first time, an Enduring Architecture Award was presented – for the School of Dentistry at the University of Otago - built between 1957-61 by the then Government Architects F. Gordon Wilson and Ian Reynolds.

The building is already recognised as an important modern building with its
listing in the International Charter of International Modernist Buildings World
Register.

Judging convenor, architect Ed Elliott, said the Dentist School building is an exceptional modernist building in Dunedin with considerable historical value and it was time it was recognised locally. “We believe it is important to value timeless buildings,” he said. “It is time to start treating modernist structures as heritage buildings and the first step is by the NZIA presenting it with an award. It is a very well detailed post World War II building and subsequent additions have all been done extremely well and in keeping with its style.”

He singled out three new buildings which won awards this year that he described as exceptional - the St David’s Lecture Theatre at the University of Otago, Dunedin, by McCoy & Wixon, the Invercargill Urban Development, a joint award for McCulloch Architects and McDowell Architects Ltd and the Boulton House at Lake Dunstan, Central Otago, by Max Wilde Architect.

The St David’s Lecture Theatre shone out judges said for its use of materials, the quality of light and the spaces provided. The building has become a place on the campus to meet and study for both students and staff they said. “It is a place that is very well liked by both students and staff for its lecture use, as a place to have coffee, pass through or study. This is a very confident piece of work.” The lecture theatre was awarded this year’s only award in the Educational category and was designed by architect John McCoy.

The judges noted that the detailing of the exterior facades was exceptional, with crisp detailing and modelling. They said it was a highly disciplined and sophisticated work that carries forward some of the finer qualities of modernity. “The building has a good relationship to St David’s St and the other adjacent buildings on the site - both old and new. The detailing is meticulous throughout and the building has generous spatial planning and wonderful quality of light in the public foyer spaces which are treated with equal importance to the lecture theatre.”

The Invercargill Urban Development in the Urban Design category was singled out for prominence by the judges not only because it was an excellent example of two architects – John McCulloch and Neil McDowell - working together to improve an inner city streetscape but also because of the high standard they achieved. “It has been done extremely well,” Ed Elliott said, “by linking elements across the street, using interesting sculptural forms, and bringing out the identity of Invercargill’s Celtic and Maori roots.

“It is also good to see architects getting involved in the urban renewal process, particularly in Invercargill, which as a city has been through recent hard times.”

The Boulton House at Quartz Creek Reef, Lake Dunstan, won its award because judges felt it had a very strong relationship with its environment – near Cromwell in central Otago. The house, by architect Max Wilde, comprises three main buildings with a pine-like pergola on the lakeside linking the forms together. The owner, a potter, lives and works in one building, another is a living area for her family who are regular visitors and the third is a garage with a homestay area above. “The house is a sensitive response to its setting upon the shores of Lake Dunstan,” the judges commented.

The Oamaru Hospital by McKenzie Architects was awarded a Heritage and Conservation Award. Architect John McKenzie was praised by the judges for handling the restoration of the building with care. They said the hospital complex was being recognised by the jury for its revitalisation and restoration of a previously derelict area of the inner town adjacent to the main highway. “The decision to relocate the hospital to this location and upgrade the original Middle School as part of it has breathed life into this part of the town,” they said.

McCulloch Architects – architect John McCulloch - were awarded the only Colour Award - for Stadium Southland. The judges said: “The stadium uses colour in a vibrant and creative way. On approach the bright primary colours of the entrance draw one into the building. The use of colour is cheerful and invigorating. The colour scheme carries on inside the public foyer and through the public spaces. Appropriately, it is a little more restrained than at the entrance but again the primary colour theme carries on right through to the selected furniture. These primary colours complement the sky which can be dramatic over the flat landscape that the complex is built on.”
ends
For further information contact: NZIA Southern Convenor Ed Elliott, Eliott Architects, Tel 03 44 26955
Jane Parlane, Auckland Communications Tel 09 520 1148
This year’s NZIA-Resene 2000 Southern Local Awards for Architecture & Colour Awards 2000 are:
Colour Award
Stadium Southland
Location: Invercargill
Architect: John McCulloch
Practice: McCulloch Architects

Residential Category
Boulton House
Location: Lake Dunstan, Central Otago
Architect: Max Wild
Practice: Max Wild Architect

Turner House
Location: McAndrew Bay, Dunedin
Architect: Samuel Smith
Practice: Smith McCaw

Interior Design Architecture Category
YMCA Fitness Centre, Invercargill
Location: Invercargill
Architect: Neil McDowell
Practice: McDowell Architects Ltd

Archer’s Cottage Interior Fitout of Anderson Lloyd Lawlink
Location: Marine Parade, Queenstown
Architect: Preston Stevens and Jane Macomber
Practice: Archimedia/D.E.M.

Commercial & Industrial Category
Doyle Commercial Building
Location: The Mall, Queenstown
Architect: Maurice Orr
Practice: Maurice D. Orr

Community and Cultural Category
Stadium Southland
Location: Invercargill
Architect: John McCulloch
Practice: McCulloch Architects

Educational Category
St David’s Lecture Theatre, University of Otago
Location: Dunedin
Architect: John McCoy
Practice: McCoy & Wixon

Heritage and Conservation Category
Oamaru Hospital
Location: Oamaru
Architect: John McKenzie
Practice: McKenzie Architects
Urban Design Category
Invercargill Urban Development
Location: Invercargill Central
Architect: John McCulloch and Neil McDowell (joint award)
Practice: McCulloch Architects and McDowell Architects Ltd

Enduring Architecture Award
Dentist School, Otago University – 1957-61
Location: Dunedin
Architect: F Gordon Wilson and Ian Reynolds
Practice: Government architects

Judges’ Citations
Colour Award
Sports Stadium, Invercargill, McCulloch Architects, Invercargill
The stadium uses colour in a vibrant and creative way. On approach the bright primary colours of the entrance draw one into the building. The use of colour is cheerful and invigorating. The colour scheme carries on inside the public foyer and through the public spaces. Appropriately it is a little more restrained than at the entrance but again the primary colour theme carries on right through to the selected furniture. These primary colours complement the sky which gets rather dramatic over the flat landscape the complex is built on.

Residential
Boulton House by Max Wild Architect, Arrowtown
This house is a sensitive response to its setting upon the shores of Lake Dunstan near Cromwell, in Central Otago. Divided into three main buildings, it has a spine-like pergola on its lakeside, linking the forms together. There is a clever separation between functions of the living building , family bedroom building and the garage with a homestay above. The building and its garden are firmly earthed to central Otago with the site having extremes of climate from winter to summer. The spaces flow into the landscape which is treated with equal importance to the house. The landscaping looks good now but over time it will even get better. There is clever use of gabion retaining walls and column features. There is good separation from the highway behind the site, buffering by landscaping and partially burying the building forms within the slope of the land. The place says a lot about its owner and her occupation as a potter - this is also evident in features. The house celebrates its place and enhances it. There is a restrained but very successful use of colour which relates directly to the rock-outcropped landscape on the hills surrounding the site.

Turner House, McAndrew Bay on the Otage Peninsula by Smith McCaw Architects, Dunedin
This house has a real presence in its gully setting up above the Otago Habour, with stunning vistas back towards Dunedin central. The building sits confidently within its context and this confidence is clearly seen on the approach to McAndrew Bay. The planning of the house makes the most of its vistas and its form is also modelled to this end. The kitchen and double height space of the dining room are inflected towards the view and to maximise sun. It is a low budget house built for $130,000. Every square metre of space within is utilised, nothing is wasted. The detail is handled equally well. Overall a clear moderist statement is made, the house having a vertical emphasis and complementing the hills it rests upon. It is enhanced by the choice of colours and materials.

Interior Architecture
YMCA Gymnasium Fitness Centre, Invercargill, by McDowell Architects Invercargill
This was a complete retrofit of the existing premises and included one new integrated centre building within the old. The interior spaces are all connected and have a successful flow. On arrival the visitor is immediately engaged with movement and colour and drawn towards the activity deeper into the building.
The structure of the new building is exposed in the new with castilated beams. And there is a consistency of detailing, and forms making the experience for gym users all the more interesting.

Archer’s Cottage, Marine Parade Queenstown, Internal Fitout for Anderson Lloyd Lawlink offices by Archimedia D.E.M.( formally Devine, Erby Mazlin)
The internal fitout for these offices has been very well executed. The planning is well carried out with an inviting reception area followed by an axial passage, with interview rooms on each side, leading to a central staircase atrium. This central staircase is a focal point within the fitout with a meticulously detailed SS handrail. Upstairs workspaces and partners’ offices surround and look into the atrium space, the main workspace and good natural lighting makes the most of the views onto Lake Wakatipu. The detailing, natural and treated materials, choice of furniture and colours are of a consistently high standard throughout the entire fitout.

Commercial and Industrial
Doyle Commercial Building, The Mall, Queenstown, by Maurice D. Orr of Queenstown
This is an adventurous and positive integration into the urban shop setting of the Mall in Queenstown. It is well detailed and clear in its intent. There is clever use of materials with a copper, hardwood and natural stone mall facing facade treated in a modern manner but relating well to the older buildings adjacent to it. The main entry space maximises the glazing but without detracting from the quality of facade. The main retail space off the street is double height, and flexible for the tenants within. The treatment of the Cow Lane facade at the rear of the building is equally well handled with its combination of natural stone and corrugated iron.
Mixed-use tenants from the upper floor enter this way via a dramatic fully natural lit passageway. Overall this is a successful integration into urban Queenstown.

Community and Cultural
Sports Stadium, Invercargill, by McCulloch Architects
This building is a great new facility for the people of Invercargill. This is a dynamic building. It has an honest approach to its contemporary functions. The building utilises simple plain shed forms for its main spaces but has a dramatic foyer. The shed forms are constructed from precast panels, using corrugated iron on steel frames and Rudnev-type panelling. The entrance to the stadium announces itself well up the approach road to the complex with its bright, primary colours and dynamic entry forms. Landscaping carries on the theme of the building and is restrained and constant around it. Detailing is consistent and well constructed. There is clever use of natural lighting, particularly over the courts and stair egress ways. The public spaces are generous and flowing. The squash courts are imaginatively placed in the foyer space and are fully adjustable with generous glazing between the foyer and sports function. The main stadium space is a wonderful huge public space which has already proven its worth in sporting functions featuring the Sting and netball championships. Other spaces within can be sublet for functions and meetings. This is a sporting and cultural centre not a monument.

Educational
St David’s Lecture Theatre, University of Otago, Dunedin, McCoy and Wixon
A highly disciplined and sophisticated work that carries forward some of the finer qualities of modernity. The building has a good relationship St David’s St and the other adjacent buildings on the site - both old and new. The detailing is meticulous throughout. The building has generous spatial planning and wonderful quality of light in the public foyer spaces which are treated with equal importance to the lecture theatre. The spaces flow well from outside to inside. Upstairs contains generous student study spaces with commanding views down over the campus. The main lecture space, being the largest in Dunedin is adaptable, well serviced and consistent with the rest of the building. The detailing of the exterior facades is exceptional, with crisp detailing and modelling. The main theatre is surrounded by a continuous strip of overhead glazing, cleverly illuminating the natural stone clad wall banding. The marriage of the materials and colours is imaginative and restrained with the natural stone being swan Oamaru stone and basalt. The building has become a “place” on the campus to meet and study for both students and staff. It is a place that is very well liked by both students and staff for its lecture use, as a place to have coffee, pass through or study. This is a very confident piece of work.

Heritage
Oamaru Hospital, Oamaru, John McKenzie Architects
The Oamaru Hospital complex is acknowledged by the jury for its revitalisation and restoration of a previously derelict area of the inner town adjacent to the main highway. The original Middle School building was subject to ongoing vandalism and was going into the ground.
The decision to relocate the hospital into this location and upgrade the original Middle School as part of it has breathed new life into this part of the town. The restoration of the original building has been handled with due care.
New ward wings frame the original building from the street. These wings are linked with well-detailed glazed walkways that open onto courtyards between the old and the new. These sunny courtyards are secure and when landscaping and paving is complete will be excellent spaces for both patients and visitors to utilise. The choice of materials is consistent with the Oamaru context and skills in the area. The preservation of the oak trees on the property complements the building. Overall this is a very good facility that brings all the health services of the Oamaru/Waitaki area under the one roof.

Urban Design
Invercargill Urban Development, joint award McCulloch Architects and McDowell Architects Ltd, Invercargill
This was a collaboration job between two Invercargill firms. We commend these two firms for working jointly together in an urban design and facilitation role, an area in which we feel architects should get more involved (not just town planners). This is a rich and eclectic composition and an interesting mix of Celtic and Maori symbolism. It is about people and public space. Despite the broad area and scale of the scheme, the architects have maintained a very high standard of detailing and workmanship. It addresses the layers of time within the public streets of Invercargill. Central features include the new consistent paving pattern through the two main street avenues of Dee and Tay streets, the redesign of street lighting and rubbish containers, integration of seating and use of rigid materials such as basalt. The extremely wide streets (Dee and Tay) are narrowed by street planting and tree planting along central planting plots. A formalised link is made from Esk St to the pubic square at Wacher Place by four enormous splayed granite columns. Traffic is slowed down with these and other devices. Sculptural forms, using local Celtic and Maori symbolism, are a feature on an empty site at the junction of Tay and Dee Streets. Attention to detailing is evident throughout. This is a positive statement for Invercargill.

Enduring Architecture
School of Dentistry, Dunedin , University of Otago, 1956 to 1960, by New Zealand Government Architect
An excellent example of a refined modernist aesthetic of the international style in New Zealand. There is a iconic purity of form. It has an elegant rhythmic composition with fine detailing. There is an understanding of streetscape and good sense of urbanity. It has also stood the test of time very well. The Enduring Architecture Award acknowledges both the quality of the work, and promotes the acknowledgement of quality modern architecture in Dunedin and its contribution to the evolution of the city’s heritage. Our jury wishes to recognise the value of such post-World War 2 buildings believing they are part of our history as we move into the 21st century. The building is one of only 12 New Zealand buildings on an international Register of Modernist International Style buildings – under the classification Docomomo.

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