Spectacular structures that blend into dramatic landscapes dominated at this year’s Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ (NZIA) Southern Awards, held in Wanaka last Friday (May 21). 

Across the region award winners included Catlins crib, a Central Otago lakeside home, and a sculptural steel and concrete property overlooking the Shotover River, but Wanaka did not come up short - local properties which took awards included a home echoing the shape of a barn, a creative multi-level commercial space and a small but immaculately considered house. 

In total, 24 awards were presented across 10 categories - including commercial, education, housing, heritage and interior architecture. 

The peer-reviewed awards celebrated the best architecture in the Otago and Southland regions and four jurors visited all of the shortlisted buildings across the provinces.

“The overall quality of work was impressive and well presented, with clever responses to client’s briefs, challenging site conditions and intelligent use of various levels of budget,” jury convenor and Wanaka-based architect Rafe Maclean said.

The Precinct on Helwick Street scooped up an award in the commercial category. PHOTO: Simon Larkin

“It was wonderful to meet the clients and architects behind each project, each with their own story of how their building had come to be.” 

Wanaka’s ‘The Precinct’, designed by Arrowtown-based Assembly Architects, took an award in the commercial category for the retail space which the architects said brings “a high-end industrial edge to retailing in the downtown area.”

The complex spans 1500 square metres on Helwick Street and just under a third is courtyard space, and it was inspired by the site’s origins as the former Wanaka Police Station as well as the “industrial aesthetic” of New York. 

Condon Scott’s Sugi House was another winner in the housing category. PHOTO: Simon Devitt

A compact local home designed by Wanaka’s Condon Scott Architects, ‘Sugi House’, was one of two local homes to earn an award in the housing category; the other was ‘Long Low Barn’ by Wellington’s Sharon Jansen.

‘Sugi House’ was inspired by the owners’ experience visiting Japan, where they saw that a small, carefully designed house could be comfortable and pleasant to live in. The floorplan is tight but carefully considered, and the result is a refined, precise and crafted aesthetic. 

‘Long Low Barn’ features two unassuming gable forms which are connected by a long passage, and the liberal use of Japanese timber is a reflection of the architect and client’s appreciation of the material. 

Mason and Wales, which has an office in Wanaka, also won three awards for projects across the southern region.

See the full list of winners here.