2021 New Zealand Architecture Awards Winner
Te Hohepa Kōhanga Reo
A hip roof over a nine-square plan forms the foundational narrative of this small Kōhanga Reo in urban Ōtautahi Christchurch. The internally orientated building uses a central square as the rā courtyard - a sheltered and light-filled gathering space that provides a semi-outdoor play area during the cold Canterbury winters. Adjacent learning spaces radiate from this central point in the manner of a star, which is the colourful tohu (symbol) used by this Kōhanga Reo to underpin its kaupapa and to embed te ao Māori in this warm, rich learning environment. Beautifully scaled with niches that create a secondary layer of child-sized spaces within the main rooms, this elegant, well-crafted building is full of colour, energy, interconnectedness and aroha, and weaves tikanga and tradition into the lives of its young users.
- Practice
- Bull O'Sullivan Architecture Ltd
- Category
- Education
- Location
- Canterbury
