Inner-city stunner thrills design award judges

Ironbank on K Rd. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A shipping container-style Auckland office and retail block, Ironbank on Karangahape Rd, won the country's top architecture award last night.

RTA Studio got the architecture medal, the country's highest accolade for a new building.

The medal, presented by the Institute of Architects, is awarded to only one building annually. Judges said Ironbank beat 14 of the country's other top new buildings.

The block, which has robots parking cars in a basement garage, was called "a rich, ground-breaking and thrilling tour de force".

Gerald Parsonson, an architect and convener of the awards jury, said it represented a rare synthesis of originality, visual impact, functionality and ecological sensitivity.

"Its towers of stacked boxes have a restless, sculptural quality and the raw, muscular materials harmonise perfectly with the inner-city context," he said.

"The various occupancies are each afforded a measure of insularity, yet the open circulation encourages a healthy level of interaction."

Jurors hailed the "strong sustainability ethos" that had driven the project from the start.

This included the recycling of 90 per cent of existing buildings on the site.

Ironbank also has a space-saving car parking system, where vehicles are stacked above one another on a wall.

Judges evaluated entries against criteria including the relationship of a building to its site and context, design quality, building form, structure and spatial qualities.

User satisfaction and environmental aspects were also taken into account.

One of the main considerations for the judges is how well an architect resolved problems.

Daniel Friedlander of Samson Corporation, which developed and now owns the building, said four tenants had already shifted in.

A group of others were interested and considering leasing space there, he said.

Richard Naish of RTA Studio has been praised for his unusual design and the vision and boldness he showed on the project. But Mr Naish said he had been encouraged by Samson for leading the project and supporting RTA.