Tag: auckland | ArchDaily

Hiwa - The University of Auckland Recreation Centre / Warren and Mahoney + MJMA

Miwa Negoro — Tue, 26 May 2026 19:00:00 +0000

The University of Auckland is an urban campus that is fully meshed into the heart of this city of 1.8-million people. Auckland's dramatic topography is dotted with rainforest and 53-inactive volcanic centres that make up the Auckland volcanic field. This project's dense student precinct and sloping site created challenges for accessibility, interconnection, and serviceability.

Waiheke House / Cheshire Architects

Miwa Negoro — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Lightness and solidity, exposure and retreat. On the easternmost reaches of Waiheke Island, a house occupies the crest of a ridgeline - permanence in an otherwise shifting landscape.

St Kentigerns Childcare Centre / Smith Architects

Miwa Negoro — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 21:00:00 +0000

The project brief was to craft a unique early childhood centre that would inspire children to develop confidence and humility through a sense of community. A detailed site analysis looked at possible locations for the building within the school. Access and car parking requirements indicated the optimal location, further reinforced by the extensive bush-lined outlook on three sides.

Kakapo Creek Children’s Garden / Smith Architects

Miwa Negoro — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Kakapo Creek is an early learning centre for up to 100 children in the heart of Mairangi Bay and is founded on the idea of Nga Hau E Wha, the four winds, being symbolic as a meeting place for people from all backgrounds. This idea is embodied in the design of the building, forming it into a circular shape to create a central meeting space, with four main classrooms arranged around it. The shape of the curve was derived from the shape of the stream which forms the site boundary on the northern side of the building and helps root the building in its place.

World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2025: Discover the Cities With the Top Quality of Life

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its Global Liveability Index for 2025, assessing 173 cities worldwide across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. This year, Copenhagen has taken the top position, ending Vienna's three-year run as the world's most liveable city. The Danish capital earned high scores in stability, education, and infrastructure, narrowly surpassing Vienna, which saw a decline in its stability rating following recent security incidents. The average global liveability score for 2025 remains steady at 76.1 out of 100, unchanged from 2024. While year-on-year improvements were recorded in healthcare, education, and infrastructure, these were offset by a continued decline in stability, driven by rising geopolitical tensions, civil unrest, and increased security threats in several regions.

Bush Block House / Patchwork Architecture

Valeria Silva — Fri, 30 May 2025 02:00:00 +0000

Situated amongst dense native bush in Tītīrangi, Auckland, this home is a simple 14x8 metre rectangular plan. To avoid extensive excavation, the decision was made early on to leave the car on the street. Instead of a garage, storage is provided for by a 'bus stop'; a space for the young family to store their bikes, bins, etc. Access to the house is via a narrow bridge which doubles as a spot for a cup of tea in the morning sun, and a race track for the couple's young child.

The Most Liveable Cities in the World in 2024: Discover Top Quality of Life Locations Globally

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

The pursuit of an ideal city has long been a topic of debate among architects and urban planners. In addition to aesthetic identity and cultural heritage, the quality of life in every city represents perhaps the most important marker in this pursuit. This year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist, has released its Global Liveability Index 2024, highlighting the cities that excel in this ongoing quest. For the third consecutive year, Vienna ranked as the most liveable city in the world. European cities Copenhagen, Zurich, and Geneva also rank high, attributed to their smaller populations, which contribute to lower crime rates and less congestion. In comparison with the 2023 ranking, the numbers for North American and Australian cities have been dragged down by the ongoing housing crisis.

Boathouse 01 / Michael Cooper Architects

Hana Abdel — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Recessed into the Pohutukawa-lined cliffs and appearing to effortlessly float upon the water’s edge of Auckland’s Herne Bay stands the Boat House. Designed to provide clients with a space to store and launch their boats from the base of their property, the Boat House offers an elegant solution to access and connection to the Waitemata Harbor.

Angle Grinder House / Mark Frazerhurst Architect

Andreas Luco — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

This one-bedroom house is located near the rim of a steeply sloping Auckland volcanic crater cone. Likely considered too hard to build on by most, we saw an opportunity for something great for the clients, my parents, who were looking to downsize when they purchased the empty section. The initial brief for the home contained more ’wants’ than the modest target construction budget allowed, so we challenged any preconceived ideas in order to design a home specifically for their needs, likes, and idiosyncrasies of living. Every decision with regard to design and detail was scrutinized, cost, and re-evaluated, before committing to.

World's Most Liveable Cities in 2023: Discover the Cities Offering the Highest Quality of Life

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 04:00:00 +0000

For the second consecutive year, Vienna is the world’s most liveable city according to The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) 2023 Global Liveability Index. Topping the ranking for the fourth time in five years, Vienna has excelled in stability, culture and entertainment, and reliable infrastructure. Copenhagen in Denmark maintained its second position while Melbourne and Sydney came in third and fourth position, rising to the top 5 where they previously had a consistent presence among the leading positions, before the pandemic.

Auckland Zoo Administration Building / Ignite Architects

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 22:00:00 +0000

Fully equipped to support sustainable growth, The Auckland Zoo Administration Building conveys a timeless, natural quality. The 400sqm building is an open and flexible space designed to support an efficient, healthy workplace. As an extension to the original administration building, it has all the qualities you would associate with its unique site – natural light, greenery, and a relaxed working environment consistent with the people that work there. Working alongside workplace strategist BGIS, the team achieved a skillful integration of workplace design, resulting in a space that supports sustainable growth through flexibility, productivity and engagement.

Lightly Weighted / Oli Booth Architects

Hana Abdel — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000

Perched looking out from its elevated position, the modest two-bedroom home feels removed and transportive, despite being embedded amongst residences in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn. While inner-city living has its multitude of benefits, there exists an undeniably compromising closeness between residences, where feeling separated is not always a given. By creating a protective shell of sorts, Lightly Weighted feels both removed and private, where outward views connect to nature as a priority. The small 85-square-meter home sits on an equally modest site of 280 square meters. The clever manipulation of the building form to engage with natural light throughout the day, while maintaining privacy, creates interesting moments that feel sculptural. The decision was made early on to keep the footprint small and the quality high to try to emphasize how smaller spaces can feel equally as generous as their larger selves.

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Turning the traditional idea of the ‘shopping mall’ inside out, Commercial Bay presents a new model for the retail typology: an open-air, laneway-based retail environment configured over three levels. The project embodies a spirit of generosity, creating two entirely new pedestrian routes through the city block, connecting transit nodes, and enhancing the pedestrian experience of the city center.

Grimshaw Reveals Design for New Zealand’s Largest Infrastructure Project

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 05:30:00 +0000

Grimshaw has revealed the final design for City Rail Link, or CRL in short, a large infrastructure project in Auckland, New Zealand. The project includes four new train stations and a 3.45km twin-tunnel underground rail up to 42 meters below the city center. It was developed in collaboration with WSP as part of the Link Alliance, a consortium of seven companies tasked with delivering the main stations and tunnels for the CRL project. The design of the stations is also developed in partnership with Mana Whenua, a local tribal authority that aims to integrate the narrative of the Māori creation story, Te Ao Marama, into the design. Each station's image and identity are a result of this collaboration, and it responds to the characteristics of each location as defined by Tāmaki Makaurau, the Māori name for the geographical region of the city of Auckland.

Kakapo Creek Children’s Garden / Smith Architects

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 23:00:00 +0000

Kakapo Creek is an early learning center for up to 100 children in the heart of Mairangi Bay and is founded on the idea of Nga Hau E Wha, the four winds, being symbolic as a meeting place for people from all backgrounds. This idea is embodied in the design of the building, forming it into a circular shape to create a central meeting space, with four main classrooms arranged around it. The shape of the curve was derived from the shape of the stream which forms the site boundary on the northern side of the building and helps root the building in its place.

The Hotel Britomart / Cheshire Architects

Hana Abdel — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 21:00:00 +0000

As a building, The Hotel Britomart is a 10-storey object crafted from hand-made clay bricks, its rough surface punctuated by a constellation of sleekly glazed windows, its mass appearing to hover weightlessly over an urban tapestry of cobbled lanes and dockside warehouses.

Awana Beach House / Herbst Architects

Hana Abdel — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 21:00:00 +0000

The text was written by the project curator with reference to the architect's notes. The Awana house is located on the Great Barrier island off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand. The island is actually quite rural with its major part being conservation parks. This engages some residents to adopt off-the-grid living means and setups that end up influencing their built setting. Herbst Architects have designed multiple residences on the island through the years, making them experts at managing the distant and at times harsh environment all while highlighting the contextual beauty and assets.

Diocesan School for Girls Music & Drama School / McIldowie Partners

Hana Abdel — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Education architecture specialists McIldowie Partners and Upton Architects have completed a cutting-edge Music & Drama facility for Diocesan School for Girls, located in the verdant Auckland suburb of Epsom.