80 | ARCHITECTURE Sheppard & Rout Architects T T Kim Newth Accolades galore for Chch architects The Marian College project involved transforming an unused warehouse into a modern educational facility. Sheppard & Rout Architects have once again proven their pedigree at this year’s Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Local Architecture Awards, having won four awards – three in Canterbury and one for the Southern region. Their four award winning projects showcase best practice architectural innovation, comprising two stunning new homes (Canterbury’s Sunrise Lane House and Southern’s Quarry Hill House), a unique new school-ina-warehouse (Marian College, Christchurch) and the distinctive Consular Office of Japan in Christchurch. Jury convenor for the awards, Maria Chen, praised this year’s entries for their remarkable blend of diversity, quality and bold design. In such a highly competitive field, it is a big honour for a practice to win just one award – let alone four. “We’re obviously very proud to have achieved this level of success,” says Jasper van der Lingen, Director of Sheppard & Rout Architects. “So much work goes into these projects. For example, both Marian College and the Consular Office of Japan were very complex and took four years or more from start to finish. To get recognition for all that effort is very gratifying for our team.” The ground-breaking Marian College project also picked up a merit at the 2024 Property Industry Awards and is a finalist at this year’s Interior Awards. This project has a long story behind it that started when the school had to find a new home after being displaced in the 2010/11 earthquakes. Rather than building from scratch, the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch eventually hit upon an unconventional yet sustainable solution that involved buying an unused Northcote warehouse and converting it into a modern educational facility. They turned to Sheppard & Rout Architects to turn their vision into reality. “As far as we can tell, this is a world first. In its day, this warehouse [17,000sqm] would have been one of the biggest in New Zealand. I remember walking into that vast space for the first time and feeling slightly intimidated. The building seemed to go on forever and I thought, ‘how can we put a school in here?’” Sheppard & Rout’s answer was to create an ingenious box-in-a-box layout with two-storey timber forms cleverly arranged, almost like an urban village, beneath the overarching canopy roof. Today, this unique school environment feels like a safe and embracing sanctuary and functions effectively as a creative place for learning and growing. Using prefabricated timber supported the project’s sustainability ethos, with local suppliers and manufacturers also favoured. “An added benefit is that we ended up with so much covered outdoor space that was then put to use as breakout areas, assembly areas and covered sports courts.” Front and centre near the main entrance is a beautiful chapel. It is the heart of the school, but others in the community can use it too. Celestial narratives, worked into the chapel’s ceiling, demonstrate the high level of detail and care. With St Bede’s College across the road and St Joseph’s School next door, Marian College is well-linked to the local community. The new Marian College fully opened at the start of 2024. Jasper says feedback to date has been unequivocally positive. He extends thanks to Armitage Williams (construction), PFC Engineering, TSA (project management) and Rawlinsons (QS) for their roles in this mammoth project. “I’d like to also acknowledge our team, particularly Joff Kennedy and Chris Murphy, as well as the Catholic Diocese for having such a brave and courageous vision.” Sheppard & Rout has enjoyed multi-award winning success for some years now, including national awards for projects such as Methven’s Ōpuke Thermal Pools & Spa. “We are proud of our diverse portfolio in housing, education, health, office and commercial through to special one-offs and are very happy that so many of our projects end up winning awards for best architecture.” Proud to work alongside Sheppard & Rout Architects on the Marian College Project Kingspan Kingzip | Kingspan Roof & Wall Panel Systems | Kingspan Controlled Environments Dimond Tricore | Longrun and Tray Roofing & Cladding | Single Ply Membranes Proudly Supporting Sheppard & Rout Architects Commercial Roofing Specialists 03 338 0877 tenders@waymanroofing.co.nz www.waymanroofing.co.nz
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