A Maori Land Court, monastery building and Hawke's Bay Opera House are among projects celebrated in the 2009 Gisborne Hawke's Bay Architecture Awards.

The programme is organised and run by the New Zealand Institute of Architects and supported by Resene.

Jury convenor Robin Larkworthy said there had been a wide variety of entries of a very high standard.

The new offices and court room for the Maori Land Court in Gisborne, which replaces a previous smaller court room, was praised by Mr Larkworthy for its "functional, inviting and spiritually uplifting" atmosphere.

Nicoll Blackburne Architects worked closely with local iwi and the Department of Justice on the design, a winner in the public architecture category.

Every element was rigorously considered with allusions to marae forms and Maori culture reinforcing the significance of the court.

Double honours for Elephant Hill

The "fine and beautifully detailed" Elephant Hill Estate and Winery overlooking Cape Kidnappers was a winner in the commercial architecture category while its lodge took honours in residential architecture. Both were designed by Blair & Co.

Jurors praised the combination of contemporary European design approach and Kiwi flavour with the building's weathered copper clad exterior and strong lines expressing the surrounding ocean and rows of vines.

Te Mata House

A rural Te Mata house by Stevens Lawson Architects captivated the jury with "exquisite crafting".

"It is just beautifully put together and its owners absolutely adore it," said Mr Larkworthy. "It sits perfectly within the landscape with wonderfully framed views from every room."

The Kopua Guest House at the Benedictine-Cistercian Southern Star Abbey at Takapau, by Tennent + Brown Architects, the first part of a major programme planned for the abbey, was a winner in public architecture.

Mr Larkworthy said the "calm environment for spiritual healing and contemplation," perfectly met the brief for a building that was about light and form rather than ornamentation.

The restoration of Hawke's Bay Opera House and the development of a new multi-functional space, both by Shand Shelton, took honours respectively in heritage and public architecture. The jury hailed the building as "now a polished jewel in the cultural and artistic crown of Hastings". The judges also noted the innovative use of theatre technology and fabric roof engineering that can transform the plaza from enclosed space into an open-air venue.

Restored chapel

The restoration of St George's Chapel at Crownethorpe by Graham Linwood Architects was also a heritage winner, praised as a committed and sensitive approach to "an important building that embodies the collective memory of a community, region and country".

The 1921 chapel was built by landowner James Coleman in memory of his son who died in service in WWI. The family farm was also used to resettle returned servicemen, many of whom are buried with some of their descendants in the chapel's cemetery.

Public architecture winners

Other public architecture winners included the Gisborne Police Station by Opus Architecture which preserved two facades and the heritage character of an existing historic building while adding a new third storey.

The Ngata Memorial College - New Senior School at Ruatoria by Nicoll Blackburne Architects captured the jury's attention with the "building language of the marae", flexibility and generous sense of space.

Hotels and café

Commercial architecture winners included an extension to the beachfront Crown Hotel Studios and Restaurant at Ahuriri by Opus Architecture, the new Quest Napier hotel by Perry Architects and the Munroe Street Frontage upgrade in Napier by Judd Dougan Team Architecture.

The Milk & Honey Café and Restaurant in Napier, by Clarkson Architects, was the sole winner in interior architecture.

Residential

Residential winners also included the rural McHardy House between Napier and Hastings by Clarkson Architects, described as a "finely handled example of a house with a Hawke's Bay feel".

The beachfront Gillies House in Napier by Wilson Jack Architects impressed the jury with clever angles that "catch the sun and views of Napier and Hawke's Bay".

TL One, a property overlooking Trinity Hill Winery, by Hillery Priest Architects, echoes pioneering bush huts, with robust exterior materials such as a zinc ribbed chimney and finely-handled interior details including walls lined in Tasmanian ash.

Additions to and refurbishment of a Poraiti country residence by Judd Dougan Team Architecture was admired as a "bold design solution" and the refurbishment of the 1950s Watson Hasselman House on Napier Hill by Opus Architecture, as "careful and respectful".

Jurors

Mr Larkworthy was joined on the jury by fellow architect Neil Fenwick and freelance journalist Mary Shanahan.
As well as visiting all shortlisted properties, the judges met with the architects and clients. The buildings were judged against a series of key criteria including their contribution to the advancement of architecture as a discipline and enhancement of the human spirit.