Buildings that acknowledge a rich colonial heritage were celebrated in the 2013 Southern Architecture Awards, announced at Remarkables Primary School in Queenstown last week (Friday, 15 November).

The 12 award-winning projects span a number of architectural types, ranging from public buildings such as museums and bus shelters, to a gymnasium and study centre, and private homes located across the Otago and Southland regions.

Convenor of the jury, Queenstown architect Bronwen Kerr, said judging was made all the more rewarding because the team was able to visit a few gems, buildings, she said, that “instantly uplift the soul”.

One such project was Pitches Store in the small settlement of Ophir, originally built in the 1880s and since refurbished to become a restaurant and hotel. “That was a definite highlight,” Kerr said. “It was wonderful to see how a single building could enhance the spirit of a town.”

Similarly, in Cromwell, a new bus shelter and block of toilets, although utilitarian, are the first stage of a project heralding a “rejuvenation” of the public face of that historic town.

Architects Justin Wright and Nick Mouat, along with broadcaster Leanne Malcolm, joined Kerr on the awards jury. Although there was much debate, the jury shared a similar response to the projects they visited. “There was a nice alignment in the way we thought and felt about the buildings,” Kerr said.

The jury members agreed that the redeveloped Toitu Otago Settlers Museum is a “remarkable asset” for Dunedin. The project unites various structures from different eras into a cohesive whole and does a good job of connecting the railway station to Queens Gardens, Kerr said.”It’s not just a museum honouring the history of the early settlers, it’s also a ‘museum of buildings’.”

While the scale of the museum is large, many of the award-winning buildings had modest budgets. “We gave a number of awards to houses that were not big or expensive,” Kerr said. For example, an energy-efficient suburban home in Wanaka and a simple bach at the mouth of the Taieri River, constructed in just eight weeks, felt so comfortable that the jury just “didn’t want to leave”.

Awards were given out across five categories, with the winners being:

Education
John McGlashan College: Gymnasium
McCoy and Wixon Architects Ltd

Marsh Study Centre
Mason & Wales Architects Ltd

Hertiage
Pitches Store
Michael Wyatt Architect Ltd

Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Baker Garden Architects Ltd and Robert Tongue Architect

Public Architecture
Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Baker Garden Architects Ltd and Robert Tongue Architect

Housing
Acland House
Rafe Maclean Architects

Alexandra Tent House
Irving Smith Jack Architects Ltd

Black and White House
McCoy and Wixon Architects Ltd

Emerald Bluffs House
RTA Studio

Helensburgh Road House
Architectural Ecology Ltd

Lake Hayes Residence
Warren and Mahoney Architects Ltd

Small Project Architecture
Bus Shelter and Public Toilet
Mary Jowett Architects Ltd

Taieri Mouth Bach
Mason & Wales Architects Ltd

Sustainable Architecture
Acland House
Rafe Maclean Architects

Resene Colour Award recipients
Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Baker Garden Architects Ltd and Robert Tongue Architect

Black and White House
McCoy and Wixon Architects Ltd