After winning the Wellington regional award back in June, Te Pātaka Toi has now been given the national award in the Enduring Architecture category. Designed by Athfield Architects, the gallery was the country’s first purpose-built university art gallery when it opened in 1999.
Director Abby Cunnane says, “It was an honour to have the gallery building recognised at the regional awards in Wellington earlier this year, and now to win the national award.
"It's a tribute to the vision of those who commissioned and supported the building from the outset, to Athfield Architects, and to all those artists whose work has brought the building to life since its doors first opened. We're so excited for future exhibitions in this well-loved, challenging, and infinitely inspiring space."
Ngā Mokopuna, our marae complex and a sustainable masterpiece, won in the education category and garnered the prestigious Ted McCoy Award for Education, which is the supreme award in the education category.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and Kaitiakitanga, Professor Rawinia Higgins, said of the win: “So much heart and soul was poured into this project and it’s pleasing to see that passion felt by so many. We’ve won a few awards this year, but this is a special one, because it recognises the architectural mastery on a national stage.”
Ngā Mokopuna was designed by Tennent Brown Architects, and backed by a huge team of engineers, makers, and project managers.