The Whakatane Library and Exhibition Centre, designed by Irving Smith Jack Architects, won a national award at the New Zealand Architecture Awards in Auckland on Friday. 

 

A Nelson firm of architects is thrilled to have received a national accolade for its design of a The Whakatane Library & Exhibition centre, which now also is considered one of the country's top-five design projects. 

 

One of the firm's principals, Andrew Irving, said they were surprised to discover at the awards the project was also one of five shortlisted as a gold-medal finalist, which in effect made it one of the country's top design projects of the year. 

 

The Whakatane library project, which has also received a regional design award, revolved around converting a former big-box retail space to a thriving community hub, which revitalised a dormant part of the town. 

 

Architect Jeremy Smith, who led the project, described the outcome in an interview with the Nelson Mail last year as an example of the impact good design has on people's lives. 

 

The New Zealand Institute of Architects said in its citation that the architects were given an abandoned building and a modest budget, but worked closely with the client to produce an important cultural destination. "They combined the library, museum and exhibition spaces, and revived a rundown Whakatane retail precinct. 

 

"Resisting any urge to over-elaborate, the architects have focused on doing a few things very well," the institute said. 

 

The awards jury included the Whakatane library in a list of examples they enjoyed most, because they had used limited resources to great effect. 

 

Mr Smith described the thinking behind it. 

 

"In the middle of town they had a huge building that was abandoned and too big for any small retail outlet to take on, so we put a library into it. 

 

"That's the kind of thinking and research architects are really good at - seeing something and using it to solve a problem, rather than go for the easy answer because it's cheap and quick - it might be obvious but it's not always right." 

 

"It's good they're not just looking to the usual suspects because there was a time when a building worth under $20 million and was outside Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch wouldn't have got a look-in," Mr Irving said. 

 

His only regret was that the award was for a public building in the North Island and not Nelson. 

 

(Nelson Mail).

 

Thanks for the Sunshine Capital Title Nelson ....and for building your best design projects in Whakatane!