The winners of the prestigious 2025 New Zealand Architecture Awards have been announced, showcasing a stunning array of projects that blend elegance, grandeur, and charm with the country's wild landscapes. Spread across eleven distinct categories, the awarded works include everything from sensitive church conversions and dynamic bridges to homes that hold their own against vast, volatile environments.
Celebrating Heritage and Public Spaces
In the heritage category, focusing on renovations and strengthening, the acclaimed Chapel of the Upper Room by Wilkie+Bruce Registered Architects took top honours. The judges praised the careful and thoughtful upgrade of this much-loved college for Canterbury University, originally designed by Warren and Mahoney in the 1960s. The renovations were noted for their success in enhancing the structure without diminishing its precious interior space.
The award for public architecture went to the Punangairi Visitor Centre by Sheppard & Rout Architects. This sustainable centre on the South Island's west coast features a green roof that mimics the tree canopy and helps manage the area's heavy rainfall. The judges highlighted its potential to support regenerative tourism and deliver lasting benefits to the local community.
In planning and urban design, Te Ara Pekapeka, a bridge in Hamilton designed by Edwards White Architects and BBO in association, was celebrated. Described as an elegant work of architecture, it adds dynamism to a place that might otherwise have been purely functional. Critically, it was built to avoid interfering with the culturally significant Waikato River and to minimise environmental impact.
Innovative Housing and Compact Living
The housing category saw multiple winners, each demonstrating unique solutions to modern living. Kaka Pod by Rafe Maclean Architects is a compact, triangular 60sqm home that follows the sloping topography, with curved corners softening its presence. Judges commended its thoughtfully placed openings that frame views and its charming bunkroom loft.
Bush Block by Patchwork Architecture proved that a constrained budget and challenging site are no barrier to creating a practical and poetic home. The design was described as a simple box showcasing 'efficient planning, innovative materials and the clarity of their application'.
Another standout was Openfield House, a South Island home by Keshaw McArthur and Matheson Whiteley (UK) in association. Judges said it holds its ground against the vast landscape, with refinement evident in its acute attention to materiality, tonal harmony, and texture.
The Sir Ian Athfield award for housing was given to Popadich House by Davor Popadich Architects, praised as a mature work that provides a flexible and adaptable environment for family life.
Small Projects with Big Impact
The small project category highlighted how thoughtful design can transform limited spaces. BB House by Upoko Architects, measuring just 6x6 metres, was described as a compact yet generous home that delights at every turn, prioritising privacy with screened courtyards and high-placed windows.
Similarly, the Walker Box by Micah Architecture is a three-storeyed tower house that tackled budget, size, and building constraints. While paying homage to famous architect Roger Walker, its geometric purity was noted as distinctively its own.
Other notable winners include the Wainui Church Conversion by Warren and Mahoney Architects and Objects, applauded for its sensitive transformation into a family holiday home, and Sugarloaf at Flockhill by Hierarchy Group, which won the hospitality category for its balance of grandeur, intimacy, and precision within a dramatic alpine landscape.
The 2025 awards collectively underscore a vibrant future for New Zealand architecture, where respect for heritage, innovative responses to landscape, and sustainable design principles continue to thrive.
