76 | ARCHITECTURE Pou Architecture CREATING GREAT PLACES www.infill.nz kiaora@infill.nz (04) 819 9200 Proudly Supporting Pou Architecture Urban Planners, Land Surveyors & Civil Engineers T T Virginia Wright Cultural values underpin design ethos The 12-unit papakāinga development involves working closely with a range of consultants. “It’s about the underlying value that the project holds for the client or for the community that it serves, and the people that are going to actually use the building, and future generations.” From their base in Paraparaumu, and drawing on their ethnic roots, the team at Pou Architecture enjoys working on a diverse range of projects big and small, both in New Zealand and the Pacific. The practice was established by Esekia Faiga and Whena Rikihana in 2022, who were soon joined by a third director, Dylan Majurey. Esekia and his family had moved to the Kapiti Coast from Wellington, where he had been working with a well-established company on big commercial projects, including specialist healthcare infrastructure and airports. He joined forces with Whena, who had moved into architecture after 17 years working as a builder, and Dylan brought experience in one of Australasia’s largest architectural practices, as well as the different perspective he had gained while working in London. Whena has more of a residential project focus, Dylan more commercial, and Esekia dips into both, but regardless of the project, or which director is involved, the underlying philosophy driving them all remains the same, says Esekia. “The word pou means a post or a column, which is traditionally used in Māori architecture, notably in marae, and also in Samoan architecture for meeting houses over in the islands. “With me being Samoan and Whena being Māori, that encapsulates a good mix of our backgrounds, but also we felt the idea of that supporting structure that helps to feed the rest of the building was a good metaphor for how we wanted the business to grow. “It’s about the underlying value that the project holds for the client or for the community that it serves, and the people that are going to actually use the building, and future generations.” Pou Architecture has clients in and around the Kapiti Coast, as far north as Gisborne, and international projects in the Cook Islands and Samoa. It is now a team of six, and weaving cultural aspects into their day-to-day work is a natural part of what they do, especially with projects like the Māori-led Wainuiomata papakāinga development due for completion in 2027. The 12-unit papakāinga development involves working closely with a range of consultants, including Hutt City Council-appointed project managers and the Wainuiomata Marae Trust, to design affordable housing for Māori and Pacifika, which in this instance is being built on marae land. Unlike most street-oriented, straight-lined commercial developments, each of these houses is orientated directly to the wharenui in their centre, creating an almost fan-like shape, says Esekia. “It’s got a design ethos where it’s all linking back to the main marae infrastructure and references that connection between the papakāinga, or village housing, and the marae, from both a spiritual and a physical point of view.” A recently completed project on a much smaller scale showcases Pou Architecture’s capability with specific detailing to achieve a client’s brief on a challenging site. Located in a high-wind zone on a knoll with spectacular views down the Kapiti Coast, The Hide is a 60sqm luxury cabin intended for Airbnb rental. Structural strengthening is unobtrusively placed, and a large, plastered concrete wall flowing from inside to out combines with the extended soffits to frame the coastal views while still offering a feeling of shelter from the coastal elements. A major refurbishment currently underway to turn what was a dated family home with strong sentimental value into a more modern home for the next generation, is testament to the collaboration with surveyors and builders that’s sometimes needed to work through council regulations, especially in a designated flood zone backing on to a stormwater lake. “Removing several walls enhances The Lakehouse’s connection to water, and allows JB Builders to make the house function the way the clients want it, as they take what was really a group-home house and turn it into an architectural piece,” Esekia says. Whether it’s a small renovation in Ōtaki, or an eco-village in the Cook Islands, first and foremost the team at Pou Architecture concentrates on making sure the clients are getting what they want, and designing better buildings for people now, as well as for future generations.
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