The redevelopment of Auckland Museum’s South Atrium, Te Ao Mārama, has been recognised by the New Zealand Institute of
Architects (NZIA) at their annual Auckland Architecture Awards last night. Auckland Museum and its architects, Jasmax
(in partnership with FJMT and DesignTribe) won the Public Architecture Award and the Heritage Award. The Museum’s new
bistro and café, Tuitui was also awarded in the Hospitality category.
The Te Ao Mārama South Atrium project for Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira (AWMM) impressed the judges
who described it as marking the arrival of an inclusive and collaborative approach to the storytelling of Tāmaki
Makaurau. “The new South Atrium renovation brings balance to the original European architecture, and embeds mana whenua
and Pacific narratives into the museum’s civic spaces. Te Ao Mārama sets a new precedent and lays down a challenge to
all who visit it to see their museum, and their heritage, afresh.”
Local Architecture Awards honour the best new architecture in each of the NZIA's eight regional branches. Winners at the
Local Architecture Awards level may be considered for further honours at a national level.
“The design establishes dialogue between New Zealand’s history and the present day. It is respectful of the building’s
heritage, while integrating bicultural concepts that deepen visitors’ engagement with the stories the museum tells, the
collections, and the building. Te Ao Mārama reinforces the relevance of the Museum to its many diverse audiences,
cementing its position as a cultural leader and major tourist attraction” says Project Architect, Marianne Riley from
the architectural joint venture of Jasmax with FJMT and design Tribe.
This contemporary renewal of the existing building deepens the relationship between the Auckland War Memorial Museum,
and its unique place in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau, delivering bicultural spaces and culturally enriching the visitor
experience.
Three artworks were commissioned for the reopening, to honour the connections between mana whenua and Pasifika and in
doing so uplift the mana of Te Ao Mārama. Together the architecture and artwork pay tribute to the museum’s heritage and
express in contemporary language new concepts, form, and materiality to connect visitors to the building, the museum
collections and its context in Tāmaki Makaurau, and beyond to Aotearoa and the South Pacific.
Te Tatau Kaitiaki, the entry gateway by Graham Tipene, depicting two female ancestors is there to signal the hau or
breath that circulated when the sky and earth were thrust apart by Tāne Mahuta to provide the primordial opening of Te
Ao Mārama. The vitality of earthly pleasures and connections are celebrated by Filipe Tohi’s abstracted pair of crimson
birds or Manulua clinging to the legs of the tanoa. The final artwork – Chris Bailey’s two ritual cleansing gourds,
Hine-pū-te-hue and Rongomātāne, one at each side of the entry – acknowledges that museums are places where the spirits
of ancestors reside.
The Museum’s new bistro and cafe, Tuitui which is situated within Te Ao Mārama and designed by Jack McKinney Architects
won the Hospitality category. It was acclaimed by the judging panel for “a thoughtful, moody interior, with a warmth and
intimacy that fits seamlessly into the existing museum building”.
“We are delighted and honoured to have received these prestigious awards which recognises the two year journey we have
undertaken to transform this part of our heritage building for current and future visitors” says Dr David Gaimster,
Chief Executive of Auckland War Memorial Museum. “Te Ao Mārama marks a milestone for Auckland Museum in creating a
precinct dedicated to cultural welcome, orientation and tikanga. It is a uniquely Auckland design and enables us to
extend the manaakitanga this Museum is known for” he explains.
Dr Gaimster acknowledged that a project of the size and scale of the Te Ao Mārama South Atrium precinct required an
enormous commitment by hundreds of staff, suppliers, community leaders and funders to bring it to fruition. “We accept
this award on behalf of everyone who has taken the design vision and turned it into a reality” he said. This includes
members of mana whenua and Pacific community leaders, who have advised on everything, from fundamental design principles
at the project’s inception through to the final delivery of artworks.
“Together they have delivered a transformation programme of multiple projects, despite the disruption and the inevitable
delays caused by COVID. This is a great achievement for any organisation and a huge success for Auckland ratepayers who
enable our work” he concluded.
The 2020 project was supported by a number of donors from individuals to trusts, whose generosity ensures that Auckland
Museum can meet the demands of visitors today and into the future.
More than 300,000 visitors have experienced the Te Ao Mārama South Atrium hospitality precinct since it opened to the
public on 5 December 2020.
NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards’ Judges Citations
For more stories about Auckland Museum’s Transformation, visit: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/auckland-museum-transformed