2013 NZSEE Earthquake Strengthening Awards Winners
The annual New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Conference was held at the Michael Fowler Centre this April 26-28. This year in parallel, the Wellington City Council organised an Earthquake Resilience Expo at the Wellington Town Hall which comprised practical, local content to compliment the conference. Aimed at both building owners and the public, the expo featured displays on seismic retrofit technology, case studies to educate and inspire, and further information for anyone wishing to embark on seismic-related work. All case studies accepted for display were also judged in The 2013 Earthquake Strengthening Awards.
Studio Pacific are pleased to have won three out Earthquake Strengthening awards.
The Chevening Apartments Refurbishment project received the Heritage Award, with judges commenting on the ‘sympathetic incorporation of structural elements achieving an excellent result.” Beca were the Structural Engineers for this project.
The Royal Society of New Zealand campus project won in The Best Engineering Solution Category, as well as being the Overall Winner of the Awards, with judges’ acknowledging its, “Modern philosophy and low damage solution with a clear architectural statement.” The Structural Engineer was Dunning Thornton.
These awards are a particular commendation of the level of Studio Pacific’s expertise and endeavour in this field.
The full NZSEE Wellington Earthquake Strengthening Awards can be viewed here.
(16 May 2013)
Staff Promotions and Evolving Senior Management Structure Announced
Studio Pacific is delighted to announce a series of promotions that change our senior management structure and reflect the development of skills and expertise in the office.
We are very pleased to announce the following promotions:
- Michael Davis has been promoted to Associate Director
- Marc Woodbury, Marcellus Lilley and Daryl Calder have been promoted to Senior Associates
- Frances Moughan and Simon Hardy have been promoted to Associates.
Studio Pacific's core competency is in excelling in design and the delivery of this excellence. These promotions reflect our emphasis on continual renewal and vibrancy within our thinking, and our desire to bring extended focus and agility into our work.
(28 March 2013)
Studio Pacific Architect Shauna Herminghouse selected for the Judging Panel of the 2013 Interior Awards.
Shauna Herminghouse has been selected along with four others, to judge the 2013 Interior Awards, to be held in Auckland this June. The Awards recognise excellence in commercial interior design, and are presented by Interior Magazine. Shauna's selection to the panel is recognition of her significant skill and accomplishments in relation to architectural interiors. Shauna's expertise in workplace theory, space planning, design management and sustainability has contributed significantly to the success of several award-winning Studio Pacific projects including Xero House, Beca Auckland, and Contact Energy.
Shauna is a Green Star Accredited Professional and board member of the National Association of Women in Construction.
Read more about the Interior Awards 2013 here.
2012 NZIA Awards Winners
Studio Pacific’s five finalists were all awarded in their respective categories, at the 2012 Wellington NZIA Architecture Awards Ceremony, held on Wednesday October 31st at Macs Function Centre.
The iconic Kumutoto Toilets won in the Public Architecture category, described by judges as a "visible, sculptural, robust and safe" public amenity. Two of Studio Pacific’s entries were awarded in the heritage category; the Chevening Apartment Refurbishment on Kelburn’s Salamanca Road was described as “carefully and painstakingly restored…”, “an exemplary solution to a pressing problem, and a truly delightful collaboration between architect and client.” And Xero House (formerly the JCB Building) was recognised as an exemplary case, in challenging times, of retaining a heritage building for commercial use. The Xero Fitout received an Interior Architecture award, with judges noting the final design is innovative and flexible.
This scoop of awards is a testament to the diversity and talent of the team at Studio Pacific.
The NZIA Wellington Architecture Awards can be viewed here.
(5 November 2012)
2012 BEST Awards Winners
The Designers Institute of New Zealand BEST Awards announced on October 5th included four Studio Pacific finalists which all won gold or silver awards in their Spatial Design categories.
The new Museum of Transport and Technology Aviation Display Hall in Auckland took the Gold in two categories of Spatial Design: Public and Institutional Buildings and Sustainable Spatial Design, recognition not only of the building's well-executed design, but also of the comprehensive degree to which sustainability is successfully integrated throughout.
Studio Pacific won Silver in Residential Spatial for the beautifully crafted Dickinson House in Eastbourne, and in the Workplace category for Xero's Wellington office fitout.
The BEST Awards winners can be viewed here: http://bestawards.co.nz/entries/spatial/
The Best Awards is the Designers Institute of New Zealand's (DINZ) annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial (formerly termed interior design), product and interactive design.
(8 October 2012)
Summer Research Scholarship 2012/13 Announced
Studio Pacific’s summer scholarship partnership with Victoria University for the 2012/2013 period has just been announced. This partnership will fund the appointment of a summer research scholar who will continue the work of our two previous summer scholars, investigating various aspects of home thermal energy performance and user comfort.
Last year’s scholar James Sullivan investigated the most economical ways of raising the thermal performance of nine case study houses using 16 different design strategies and a dozen different construction methods. He then looked at different combinations of those design choices, and their cumulative impact on the thermal performance of the houses. The resulting research paper is currently being peer reviewed, and will be published on our website soon.
This summer’s scholar will further analyse last year’s design choice recommendations, looking at both the cost-benefit and embodied energy life cycle impacts of those design choices in 50, 100 and 150 year life-cycles.
Since Studio Pacific’s inception, environmental sustainability has been at the core of our work. The outcomes of this research will make a valuable contribution to our understanding of home energy efficiency, and strengthen our evidence-based design advice.
For Studio Pacific the importance of research spans both theory and practice. The lessons and findings from our research into home energy performance have already affected the advice we are able to give clients around the best design choices to improve building performance and user comfort.
(31 September 2012)
Wadestown House wins Gold in Wellington's Master Builder of the Year 2012
The recently completed refurbishment of a three-storey Wadestown Villa, has won a Gold Award for building excellence in the 2012 Wellington Master Builder House of the Year awards. The refurbishment was managed and designed by Studio Pacific and built by Planit Construction. Planit Construction are one of 11 Gold Award winners from the recently announced Wellington and Wairarapa regions awards and will go on to be finalists at the national awards this November.
Planit Construction have delivered a highly crafted result with a finely attuned attention to detail.
(31 August 2012)
Beca Fitout wins Resene Total Commercial Interior - Office Award
Studio Pacific's refurbishment of Beca's Auckland office has won Resene's Total Colour award in the Office Interior category. This extensive fitout project successfully presents the strength and quality of the confident and innovative organisation within. The Judge's note, "the colour palette is strong and well balanced with sophisticated, split complementary, complementary and related colour schemes all combining to work well together with a touch of monochromatic. This use of a variety of schemes that we are so familiar with has been beautifully put together in an enlightening way."
(24 August 2012)
Xero House wins NZ Property Council Award
Studio Pacific's refurbishment of Xero House was the recipient of an excellence award in the Heritage and Adaptive Reuses category of the New Zealand Property Council Awards 2012. Formerly known as the John Chambers Building, the Xero House building dates back to 1918 and, with its distinctive flatiron plan and unusual mixture of architectural styles, represents an important part of Wellington's architectural heritage. The refurbished building is now home to a number of successful Wellington businesses.
(11 June 2012)
Studio Pacific wins 2012 Creative Gold Award
We are thrilled to be this year's winner of the Creative Gold Award at the 2012 Wellington Gold Awards. These annual awards celebrate successful Wellington businesses; check out the 2012 winners and finalists here.
(1 June 2012)
The Rock named a finalist in Interior Awards
The Rock has been named as one of 18 finalists in the 2012 Interior Awards. Presented by Interior magazine, the awards recognise excellence in New Zealand's commercial interior design. Winners will be announced on 27th June. Check out the finalists here.
(14 May 2012)
Chevening Apartments and MOTAT Aviation Display Hall shortlisted for national awards
The Chevening Apartments refurbishment in central Wellington and the MOTAT Aviation Display Hall in Auckland have been named as finalists in the 2012 New Zealand Property Council Awards. A record 82 properties were entered in this year's awards, which recognise excellence in usability, environmental impact and urban design as well as economic and financial viability. The Chevening Apartments is shortlisted in the Heritage and Adaptive Reuses and Multi-Unit Residential categories of the awards, while the MOTAT Aviation Display Hall is shortlisted in the Education and Arts and Green Building categories. The awards will be announced on June 8th.
(24 April 2012)
MOTAT Aviation Display Hall wins New Zealand Architecture Award
The MOTAT Aviation Display Hall has won a New Zealand Architecture Award in the Sustainable Architecture category at this year's NZIA Awards. These annual awards honour the best architecture throughout the country and set the standard for New Zealand excellence in the field. All winners will go on to compete for this year's New Zealand Architecture Medal, which is awarded to the single most exceptional project across all categories and will be presented at the Awards Dinner on May 25th.
(19 April 2012)
Studio Pacific named as a finalist in the 2012 Wellington Gold Awards
We are delighted to be a finalist in the Creative Gold category of the 2012 Wellington Gold Awards. The awards celebrate successful Wellington businesses and, with the final judging round underway, will be announced on May 31st.
Check out the awards here.
(18 April 2012)
Athfield Cup awarded to Susan Price for Chevening renovation
The Athfield Cup was recently awarded to Susan Price for her recent renovation and earthquake strengthening of Chevening House, a heritage listed 1929 apartment block in Salamanca Road, Kelburn. Studio Pacific's Lianne Cox was the architect on the project, and worked with Susan and engineer Matthew Lander of Beca to complete the strengthening works while retaining the heritage character of the building, which was designed by architect Llewellyn Williams, who also designed the Embassy Theatre. The finished restoration preserves a valuable part of Wellington's architectural history.
(13 April 2012)
Studio Pacific turns 20!
Founded on 2 February 1992, Studio Pacific celebrates its 20th birthday today. We have enjoyed the last 20 years - in particular, all of our relationships with colleagues, clients, consultants, contractors, friends and family - and we are looking forward to the next 20!
The original Studio Pacific office in Willis St, 1992