64 | Ayrburn transformation wins heritage award T T Aimee Wilson “Every architectural project brings new challenges and it’s a pleasure to work on a range of projects with some amazing clients.” ARCHITECTURE SA Studio Winning the Heritage and Hospitality category of the Southern Architecture Awards 2024 for her work on Ayrburn was a wonderful surprise for Jessie Sutherland of SA Studio. The massive transformation of a collection of stone farm buildings near Arrowtown was one of the Cromwell-based architect’s first projects when she started her business in 2017. Having grown up in Central Otago, Jessie always had an appreciation of old agricultural buildings, and specialised in heritage and sustainability while studying for her Bachelor of Architecture at Victoria University. Her career has taken her from Athfield Architects in Wellington to architectural practices in London and Queensland, before she returned home to start a family. Jessie’s children understand her passion and buy her old shed postcards, which she takes on tours of the countryside where examples of stone and mud brick buildings are everywhere. “The weight and permanence of stone against corrugated iron is beautiful,” she says. Every heritage project, whether it be a private residential home or a commercial renovation, brings elements of the past and creates something new – continuing the story of that building and location. SA Studio is certainly making a name for itself, with Jessie also being part of the architectural team for the Cromwell Memorial Hall project, assisting Jasmax with its work, using her local knowledge to guide the team. “To work on a large scale, civic project, in your hometown, has been an amazing experience.” Her work around Cromwell is evident – having also completed the refurbishment of Cromwell’s prominent hotel The Gate, including the new entry, the café and restaurant, the adjoining bike shop, and liquor store renovations next door. Jessie understands that every project has a responsibility to the site, and the people using it, and while she would love to just work on heritage sites, she knows they don’t come along every day. “Every architectural project brings new challenges and it’s a pleasure to work on a range of projects with some amazing clients.” Her work at Ayrburn – the transformation of one of the most prominent farm homesteads in the region, has been true to her heart, and design and construction of stage two is already underway. Deconstructing and reusing stone walls and timber, and devising other ways to repurpose materials while achieving commercial building code requirements was key to the success of the project. The completed first stage included the transformation of the original 1860 agricultural stone buildings, which include The Woolshed, The Manure Room, The Burr Bar, The Dairy and the newly built Barrel Room. These now encompass a mix of restaurants, wine and cocktail bars, cellar door, event spaces and an ice-creamery. Winning the award was the icing on the cake. “I’m really proud for the work of the whole team to be recognised. Ayrburn has been given its prominence again, but with a new chapter and is even more glorious. But it still celebrates its agricultural past.” BUILDING CONTRACTORS C R O M W E L L Garry 027 220 1195 | www.cbc.nz For all your building needs Architectus Winning collaboration Papa Hou is a multifunctional community facility. T T Sue Russell Prominent Australasian architecture practice Architectus has been recognised for its collaborative approach to the design of a new public facility, Papa Hou, in Christchurch. Specifically, Architectus received the BCTF (formerly BCITO) Collaborative award at the New Zealand Institute of Building (NZIOB) – New Zealand Building People Awards 2024 for the nature and quality of its design process with many voices around the table as design detail came into form. Located opposite Christchurch’s Botanic Gardens, in the centre of the city, Papa Hou is a multifunctional community facility, designed to offer activities for people of all ages, providing an inspiring and engaging place to come together. The brief, from client The Kind Foundation (formerly YMCA), was to reimagine the site, including an existing accommodation building, into a multi-purpose, interactive community group resource. Collaboration was at the heart of its design, led by project architect Matt Eglen from the Christchurch studio, ensuring all the separate spaces articulated their end purpose, while retaining and celebrating a sense of what the whole building represented. Architectus Christchurch principal, Carsten Auer, says Papa Hou represents what it is possible to achieve in design when many perspectives come together. It is one of the elements of public achitecture he describes as both challenging and hugely satisfying. “I think what’s really unique about Papa Hou is that, in its design and use it represents a mini cosmos of our society, with a fitness centre, childcare facility, dance performance and education all happening within its walls. There was a very extensive engagement process at the outset of the project to ground what each area needed to have to operate well.” Carsten says the brief initially took upward of four months to bring into a form that could be worked on in more detail. “That’s one of the things about designing in the public architecture space, there’s always a lot of stakeholders’ views to bring into the mix.” The new building, named Papa Hou – Treasure Box in Te Reo Maori, sits next to Hotel Give, sharing an annex connecting the two buildings. Social spaces woven throughout the building encourage public interaction and circulation through the 5975sqm building, completed last year. RoofLogic is pleased to have worked with Architectus to provide the high-performance roof system for the University of Waikato Hamilton Campus www.rooflogic.co.nz Photo: Lewis Ferris The Gate Hotel in Cromwell.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=