This year’s Commercial winners could not
be more different. The successful
Completed project - Pollard Thomas
Edwards Architects’ The Granary in
London - is a contemporary reuse project
which sensitively re-imagines an 1870s
listed building into a chic new headquarters
for developer/ contractor Rooff. In the
Unbuilt category is Hamish Monk
Architecture's Hopuhopu Tribal Centre in
the Waikato District of New Zealand, an
impressive masterplan which forms a
much-needed commercial base for 60,000
Waikato Tainui.
It was this immense 137 hectare project
that immediately struck a chord with
Unbuilt judge, Mark Swetman, Director of
Hines, who pointed out: “The fact that it
has gone from a very traditional style to a
very modernistic one has got to be
celebrated. The thing that I would like to
say is the simplicity of how it’s put together
and recognising this is buildings a cultural
centre. It needs to be economically viable,
but it also sits well with the adjacent land
uses; I can see it being a more
commercially viable operation as well
which is obviously key in getting something
off the ground.”
Fellow juror Eric Parry was equally
impressed, admitting: “It’s nice to havea
set of buildings within the context of a
landscape without too much
pretentiousness. I think internally there is
the potential for a very beautiful condition
of light between the outer weathering skin
and the internal surface in its patterned
timber as it responds to a place of
community. I think the section is also
potentially beautiful in terms of its scale; it
seems to have as lot of promise at this
stage.”
