The 2025 New Zealand Architecture Awards have been announced, celebrating a remarkable collection of projects that showcase elegance, grandeur, and charm. Spread across eleven distinct categories, the winning designs include everything from sensitively converted churches and innovative bridges to private homes set against the country's most dramatic and wild landscapes.
Celebrating Heritage and Public Spaces
In the heritage category, the Chapel of the Upper Room by Wilkie+Bruce Registered Architects was a standout winner. The architects received high praise for their careful upgrade of this much-loved college for Canterbury University, a building originally designed by Warren and Mahoney in the 1960s. Judges noted the renovations were executed with immense care and thought, successfully preserving the building's cherished interior space.
The award for public architecture went to the Punangairi Visitor Centre by Sheppard & Rout Architects. Located on the South Island's west coast, this sustainable building sits seamlessly within its environment. It features a green roof that not only echoes the surrounding tree canopy but also helps manage the area's notoriously heavy downpours. The judging panel stated that the centre would support regenerative tourism and deliver lasting benefits to the local community.
An elegant new bridge also captured the judges' attention. Te Ara Pekapeka by Edwards White Architects and BBO won the planning and urban design category. Described as an elegant work of architecture, the bridge adds dynamism and presence to a location in Hamilton that might otherwise have been defined by a purely functional solution. Critically, the structure was built without interfering with the culturally significant Waikato River, minimising its environmental impact.
Innovative Residential Designs
The housing categories were fiercely contested, revealing a trend towards thoughtful, site-specific homes. Kaka Pod by Rafe Maclean Architects is a compact, triangular 60sqm home that follows the sloping topography of its site. Its curved corners soften its presence in the landscape, and judges commended the thoughtfully placed openings that frame the views, as well as the charming interior bunkroom loft.
Another residential winner, Bush Block by Patchwork Architecture, proved that a constrained budget and challenging site conditions are no barrier to creating a practical and poetic home. Judges described the simple box as a showcase of 'efficient planning, innovative materials and the clarity of their application'.
The Openfield House by Keshaw McArthur and Matheson Whiteley was praised for its ability to hold its ground against the vast scale of the South Island landscape. The judges highlighted its refinement, evident in the 'acute attention to materiality, tonal harmony and texture'.
Taking home the Sir Ian Athfield award for housing was the Popadich House by Davor Popadich Architects. Celebrated as a mature work from an experienced architect, the home demonstrates how flexible plans and adaptable spaces can create an ideal environment for everyday family life.
Small Projects with Big Impact
The small project category highlighted how ambitious design can transform limited spaces. The BB House by Upoko Architects, measuring just 6x6 metres, was described by judges as a compact yet generous home that delights at every turn. It prioritises privacy with screened courtyards and high-placed windows, while its bedroom challenges conventional ideas about contemporary living.
Similarly, the Walker Box by Micah Architecture is a three-storeyed tower house that tackled significant budget, size, and building constraints. While paying homage to famous architect Roger Walker, the judges noted the geometric purity of its compositions was distinctively its own.
Other notable winners include the Wainui Church Conversion by Warren and Mahoney Architects and Objects, which was applauded for its sensitive transformation of a church into a modern family holiday home, and Sugarloaf at Flockhill by Hierarchy Group, a restaurant in a dramatic alpine landscape that achieves a masterful balance of grandeur, intimacy, and precision.
Collectively, the 2025 winners illustrate a vibrant architectural scene in New Zealand, one that deeply respects its environment, heritage, and the potential for innovative design to enhance everyday life.
