2025 New Zealand Architecture Awards Winner
Wainui Church Conversion
The conversion of this church into a family holiday home is a respectful yet inventive transformation, championing sustainable adaptive re-use. The restoration and preservation of the existing building has been undertaken with sensitivity and rigor, honouring the integrity of the original church’s construction and maintaining its exterior identity within its original context. The careful insertion of a modern mezzanine sleeping space, coupled with a kitchen and snug below, is clearly identified through its juxtaposing materiality and colour identity, while a three-tier bunk room and bathroom fit neatly at the rear. A large over-wall sliding door with privacy screen is the only obvious envelope adaptation; a well-handled move that connects the interior to the exterior courtyard and signifies the building's new use as a reimagined family holiday home.
- Practice
- Warren and Mahoney Architects New Zealand Ltd and Objects in association
- Category
- Housing - Alterations and Additions
- Location
- Canterbury
