Home » Tag »

Architecture

It’s official: Patterson Associates one of world’s best

No comments By Nicole Stock on May 20, 2011

ANDREW PATTERSON’S Auckland-based firm has won in the esteemed World Architecture News’s 21 for 21 awards for most outstanding architecture.

The journal named the first five of its top architects world-wide, including Patterson Associates, after studying numerous submissions received.

Juror David West said Pattersons “completely surprised” with the quality of its work.

“But also the ambition – it wasn’t showy, but it was still actually doing something very very intriguing,” Mr West said.

Criteria for winners were that they be outstanding, forward-thinking people and organizations with the potential to be the next big thing in the architectural world, whose directional ideas are helping shape the future of architecture while being sustainable and commercially viable.

Mr Patterson said he was still in shock when he shared the good news with Selector.

“It is kind of hard to believe as this is the kind of program that you apply for as a very long shot indeed. We submitted a portfolio of our work and an essay essentially explaining our design philosophy in February and then we were asked to submit more information in March,” Mr Patterson said.

The judging panel consisted of what Mr Patterson called some of the world’s architectural leading lights.

“[Judges were] the guys my firm hero worships including Patrick Schemer of Zaha Hadid- the Architects of Romes new MAXI Museum and current holder of the Royal Institute of Architects Gold Medal, Grant Brooker who represented Foster Associates – designers of The Reistaad, the Meleax Bridge and the Hong Kong Airport, and David West who sits on the London 2012 Design Review Panel, the Design for London Urban Design Panel and the British Royal Institute of Architects Futures Steering Group,” Mr Patterson said.

Some of Patterson Associates’ most well known work includes the Mai Mai Folly house in Freemans Bay, cliff-top Parihoa House in West Auckland and Parnell commercial building Cumulus.

Gunning for gold at the Olympic Stadium

No comments By Mark Longley on January 20, 2011

IN AN effort to kill two birds with one stone the London Olympic Stadium is using recycled knives and guns as a construction material. Not only does this add to the stadium's already extensive green credentials, but it also solves a problem of what to do with the some 52 tonnes of guns and knives that have been confiscated by the Metropolitan Police in just one year.

Gun and knife crime is a serious problem in London and the police regularly hold an "Amnesty" period, where the lethal weapons can be handed in without charge. Disposal of the weapons was a problem, until some bright spark thought about melting them down into scrap and using them as building material. It was a perfect fit for the stadium, which is keen to include as many eco-friendly ideas as possible.

New issue of Progressive Building + Info-Link magazine out soon

No comments By Mark Longley on December 16, 2010

THE FINAL issue of Progressive Building + Info-Link magazine for the year is out soon and it's a packed issue to take you over the Christmas break. Here is a sneak preview:

There is the latest news from the industry.

Warwick Quinn, CEO of the RMBF, Martin Fahey CEO of the NZIOB, Richard Carver from Jennian Homes and Derek Baxter from CBANZ all share their thoughts about the year ahead.

There is a short feature looking at cover pricing and the Commerce Commission's attempts to educate the industry about the dangers of manipulating tenders.

The projects featured this issue are: The new indoor sports arena being built in a particularly windy part of Wellington. The Victoria Park Tunnel. MOTAT's LVL timber exhibition hall and the renovation of a block of flats in Wellington where most of the old product is recycled.

There is also an interview with the NZIOB Young Achiever of the Year Shannon Chambers plus the latest products in the Info-Link section.

The best un-built work of 2010

No comments By Peta Nichols on November 24, 2010

A Path To Dwell On, designed by Nick Sayes and Mike Hartley. Winner of the AAA Cavalier Bremworth Awards 2010.

A lot of architects and designers put a lot of effort into projects that for some reason or another, many times through no fault of their own, never get built. Every year, the Auckland Architecture Association Cavalier Bremworth Design Awards recognises these un-built works, and the 2010 winners were announced last Thursday night at AUT's St Paul Street Gallery.

Mike Hartley and Nick Sayes from Daniel Marshall Architects won the Open Section of the awards with their entry called The Path to Dwell on.

Other projects awarded were: Sir Keith Park Aviation Museum at MOTAT designed by Yumian Chai (winner, student section); Being in Painful Circumstances designed by Yosop Ryoo (highly commended, student); Red Line designed by Huirui Wang and Ruoyu Wang (highly commended, student); My Bro's House designed by Simon Twose (commended, open section); and Live and Work infill designed by Matt Deep (commended, student section).

: At the awards presentation at St Paul Street Gallery. From left: Paul Clarke, Nick Murcutt, Rachel Neeson, Fleur Palmer.

: A Path To Dwell On, designed by Nick Sayes and Mike Hartley. Winner of the AAA Cavalier Bremworth Awards 2010.

: The Path To Dwell On by Nick Sayes and Mike Hartley.

: The Path To Dwell On by Nick Sayes and Mike Hartley.

: The Path To Dwell On by Nick Sayes and Mike Hartley.

: Sir Keith Park Aviation Museum at MOTAT by Yumian (Dino) Chai.

: Sir Keith Park Aviation Museum at MOTAT by Yumian (Dino) Chai.

: Sir Keith Park Aviation Museum at MOTAT by Yumian (Dino) Chai.

: Being in Painful Circumstances by Yosop Ryoo.

: Red Line by Huirui Wang and Ruoyu Wang.

: Being in Painful Circumstances by Yosop Ryoo.

: My Bro’s House by Simon Twose.

Every year the AAA manages to lure some great Australia architects across the ditch to help judge the awards, and this year the international judges were Nick Murcutt and Rachel Nesson of Neeson Murcutt Architects. They are a small practice based in Sydney who do some really interesting work. John Walsh will be featuring an interview with both Rachel and Nick in the January issue of Architecture NZ.

Rachel and Nick were supported by New Zealand judges Richard Naish of RTA Studio and Jon Craig, one of the founders of Craig Craig Moller Architects, now CCM Architects in Wellington.

For more information about the awards programme visit here, and here.

Great Figure!

No comments By Peta Nichols on November 18, 2010

GREAT FIGURE! is an exhibition of models and pin-ups of three houses by Wellington architecture practice KebbellDaish. The exhibition is at Wellington's Bowen Galleries on 39 Ghuznee Street from Sunday 21 November to Tuesday 23 November.

KebbellDaish is an interesting, intellectual architectural practice, with a great story. The practice, founded in 2002 by John Daish (now retired) and Sam Kebbell (architect and academic) is set to close in 2032 – giving the practice a time limit to complete the things they want achieve.

Read more about the practice and see some of its work here >> www.kebbelldaish.co.nz

: Courtyard house by KebbellDaish Architecture. (Photograph: KebbellDaish)

: Model of Courtyard House by KebbellDaish Architecture. (Photograph: KebbellDaish)

: Harte house by KebbellDaish Architecture. (Photograph: Simon Wilson)

: Model of Harte house by KebbellDaish Architecture. (Photograph: KebbellDaish)

: Adsett House by KebbellDaish Architecture. (Photograph: Sonia Mangiapane)

: Model of Adsett house by KebbellDaish Architecture. (Photograph: KebbellDaish)

Sam has written some notes on his ideas formed through the process of curating of Great Figure!, which will be featured in the next issue of Houses magazine.

Your chance to give feedback on consents

No comments By Mark Longley on November 17, 2010

CTMA WORLD launched its fourth annual customer experience study of consent and inspection services.

It means that people who underwent Resource Consent, Building Consent or Building Inspections services have the opportunity to post feedback on how well their council served them. Paul Linnell, the managing director of CTMA World says, "This is very much focused on getting customer feedback and it's about customer dissatisfaction as well as satisfaction. It asks did something go wrong and what was it? As a result of that how well did the council resolve it for you?"

The online questionnaire is comprehensive and really gives the opportunity to outline any issues you may have had. This information is presented to councils and those who wish to participate are able to use the information. Linnell says. "The study has proved so successful over the past three years that last year we noted customer satisfaction at participating councils had improved at nearly twice the rate of other councils.. There is still work to be done, but this valuable feedback from customers helped these councils learn from their customers about specific issues that cause concern. From this information they have been able to focus on the improvements that will bring the biggest benefit to their customers."

The industry is awash with complaints about Building and Resource Consent so this is an opportunity to get those complaints heard.

To complete the online form go to http://www.feedback-direct.com/nzconsents/

Christchurch and the housing issues

No comments By Mark Longley on October 14, 2010

YOU CAN tell when you hit a residential suburb in Canterbury that has been affected by the earthquake - the streets are lined with portaloos. There are also more telling signs, in many areas the road surface becomes uneven, or at worst bowed and impassable. The areas I saw - Kaiapoi, Avonside and Brooklands - that were worst affected all bordered the river. The tranquil River Avon is now, in parts, up to two metres narrower than it was pre-quake as the land has fallen into the water. Footbridges that cross it are twisted out of shape, like a spine with scoliosis, and in parts there are visible splits in the footpaths that border the river.

It is the houses and what to do with them that poses the biggest question. Much of the focus post-quake has been on the heritage buildings in the CBD, but it is the residential areas that could prove to be the real problem. Early estimates reckoned up to 100,000 homes could be affected and the real number is still not known. From the street the only visible sign a house has suffered damage is it has a portaloo outside, but look closely and you can see they are not right. Window sills run at angles, or the house looks twisted, as if someone has picked it up to have a look and not put it back properly. Many residential areas are still without sewerage, and you can understand why residents are becoming frustrated.

Repairing the heritage buildings in the city might get more of the headlines, but fixing the suburbs and getting people back into their homes is the real story.

Christchurch after the quake

No comments By Mark Longley on October 11, 2010

STANDING OUTSIDE a seven story building that could collapse at any minute is disconcerting to say the least. The area around the Manchester Courts building on Christchurch's Manchester Street had been cordoned off, however the photographer Simon Devitt and myself had blagged our way in and were now standing talking to the building's owner, Richard Peebles. Earlier that morning the brick building had been approved for demolition, so badly had the earthquake damaged her. Peebles was explaining the extent of the damage, pointing out where the brick walls were bowing and cracking. The next big aftershock could well send this grand old structure tumbling to the ground he said.

I thought maybe we should move the conversation back a few feet, but he asked if we wanted to look at the damage inside. We politely declined, I figured I might regret not getting the story, but not as much as I would regret going inside should the building collapse.

The Manchester Courts building is one of the higher profile buildings in Christchurch that won't survive the quake. What was once Christchurch's tallest building will be demolished and something else will be rebuilt in her place. It is one of the few damaged buildings to know their fate, the city is littered with other structures being propped up and awaiting theirs. Funding will be a major issue in restoring the buildings that are not earmarked for demolition. They are supposed to be repaired to 67 percent of the seismic requirements in the Building Code, but that is unlikely to be covered by insurance alone.

The city is largely safe now, which is great testament to the engineers and builders who went into the damaged buildings, unsure how unsafe they were, and shored them up. All that remains is to decide what to do with the broken buildings.

Win a Matariki light shade with Houses

No comments By Peta Nichols on September 15, 2010

IN THE latest issue of Houses magazine we have a beautiful Matariki light shade (as shown in the photograph by Louise Schouten above), from Wellington-based Joug Design to give away.

Here is what the designers Helen and Jelle have to say about the light shade:

"The Matariki light shade's design was inspired by our new born son. The pendant light shade in our bedroom was too bright for his eyes so we set out to design a new light shade. It's 700mm in diameter by 270mm in height so it's quite a feature light shade. When it is on and you squint your eyes it looks to me like the stars on a crisp evening night..."

To enter, email housescomps@agm.co.nz with your name and contact details*.

Also, pick up the latest issue of Houses magazine for a chance to win one of five $1000 Resene vouchers.

*Houses standard conditions of entry apply and can be seen on page 4 of the magazine.

Win with your design work

No comments By Peta Nichols on September 9, 2010

LAST NIGHT at the Hotel DeBrett, architects and designers saw the Auckland launch of a new design competition by Cavalier Bremworth – The Twist Design Challenge. The beauty of this competition is, is that you don't really need to do any more work – they are asking to see designs that are designed and built. Here is what Cavalier Bremworth has to say about the competition:

Here's your chance to win bragging rights, an iPad, a very cool Saben leather and wool carpet satchel, PLUS the chance to win a cocktail party for 50. The Twist Design Challenge is open to all New Zealand registered architects and interior designers.

HOW DO YOU ENTER? Simple. Just submit any great looking residential or commercial projects where you have used Cavalier Bremworth carpet. Deadline is 8 October 2010 for first round entries.

Upload some pics below, write some blurb about the project and of course why you just had to use the great 100% sustainable wool carpet from Cavalier Bremworth. It's not a writing competition though, it's one to find some seriously great projects using our beautiful New Zealand wool carpet.

For more information about the competition, visit here.

And another competition... this time for design work that hasn't even been built:

Cavalier Bremworth is a great proponent of New Zealand architecture and design. As well as the creation of this latest competition, they have also sponsored the AAA Cavalier Bremworth Design Awards for the past 19 years! The competition recognises unbuilt design work (and it's not limited to Auckland). One would assume there is probably a lot of that around at the moment, so put your hard work to good use and enter it. The prizes are definitely worth it – the total prize pool is valued at $10000.

For more information about this competition, visit here.