2025 Wellington Architecture Awards Winner
Whakamaru o te Korowai o te Panepane o te Ika a Maui
This project is all about community. Whakamaru is a deeply considered architectural response to homelessness in Wellington, providing essential services and a sense of belonging under one roof. More than a shelter, it is a place of dignity, care, and connection. Housing, medical services, a free supermarket, and a social café redefine traditional support models. The design fosters interaction, placing residents and City Mission staff side by side, connected by a shared stair. A central atrium brings light and warmth into secure, welcoming spaces, while tukutuku-inspired sliding screens and integrated artwork ground the building in te ao Māori. Thoughtful material selection prioritizes durability and maintenance efficiency, ensuring longevity. Whakamaru’s generosity of spirit is reflected in its architecture—a building of shelter, manaakitanga, and transformation for Wellington’s most vulnerable.
- Practice
- Three Line Studio Limited
- Category
- Public Architecture
- Location
- Wellington
