KEY POINTS:
A renovated 1970s Remuera home, a rural Otaki house shaped like a tube, and the capital's controversial new urban park received top accolades last night at the New Zealand Institute of Architects Resene Awards for Architecture.
The three 2007 supreme award winners are:
* A new renovation of noted architect Ron Sang's concrete 1970s Sargent House by Auckland architects Jeff Fearon and Tim Hay (Fearon Hay Architects Ltd).
* An inventive Otaki residence designed by architect Dave Launder as his own home.
* Wellington's $20 million Waitangi Park development, a joint venture by Athfield Architects Ltd and Wraight and Associates Ltd.
National Awards convener Pip Cheshire said the judges felt that the three supreme winning projects had "moved the spirit in different ways".
"What is so great is that the designs don't just respond to the size of the budget, they respond with intelligence to complex demands."
Otaki architect Dave Launder's Kaitawa Rd home is nestled in the western foothills of the Tararuas. The tube-like home with a mono-pitched roof features an extensive glass frontage with views to the northwest. Inside, it has a long corridor/gallery with rooms cleverly separated by joinery, bookshelves, storage units or glass walls.
The striking skeleton of Ron Sang's 1973 Sargent House in Remuera, Auckland, was reordered by means of additions, insertions and alterations.
Waitangi Park - which needed to accommodate such varied urban needs as pedestrians, powhiri, skateboarders, children's playgrounds, sports fields, and cleaning stormwater runoff, among others - was one of the most controversial developments in the capital for many years. It finally opened in February 2006 after a budget blowout of some $4.9 million.
* Three early 1960s residential homes in Wellington and Auckland received a 2007 NZIA Enduring Award for Architecture last night. The three recipients are Toomath House (Mt Victoria, Wellington), Alington House (Karori, Wellington), and Manning House (Devonport, Auckland).
