Waiata House wins architecture award

GOOD LOOKS: Waiata House in Masterton has won a Wellington Architecture Award.PHOTO/MIKE HEYDON

A state-of-the-art community-owned building opened earlier this year in Masterton has won a Wellington Architecture Award.

Waiata House, owned by Lands Trust Masterton and designed by Proarch Architects, was recognised in the commercial category of the NZ Institute of Architecture's regional awards announced in Wellington on Thursday November 7. It was the only Wairarapa building to receive an award.

Lands Trust Masterton chairman John Bunny congratulated Proarch on its innovation and quality of work in a project that had involved the trust, tenant and architect working closely together.

"The judges recognised Proarch's work in designing the building to the specific requirements of the tenant while setting the building up to anticipate other opportunities as Masterton evolves," Mr Bunny said.

The judges said the "strict lines separating the public and private realms" of the building's environment were blurred in a central atrium, in which details and arched windows from the site's original opera house building's facade had been re-used.

They said "elements from the former opera house building on the site are incorporated into the architecture but the building is very much about the present and future."

The $3.1 million, 1680sq m building was built to Green Star environmental standards, incorporating multiple energy-efficiency features including double glazing throughout, a central atrium that stores solar heat, and automatic temperature and lighting control. Its structure meets 130 per cent of the building code's seismic safety standards.

Waiata House is now eligible for consideration for the top tier of the annual Architecture Awards programme announced in May 2014.

Opened in May this year, Waiata House is tenanted by Pathways, CareNZ and Workwise, who together provide a wide range of community-based mental health and addiction services and supported employment for Wairarapa.

Rental income from the building is returned to the Masterton community.