Green School New Zealand was honoured to recently win a top architecture award for its Kina building at the Western NZIA Local Architecture Awards.
The awards, run by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, honours the best new architecture across a range of categories and regions. Both Green School and fellow Taranaki primary school, Puketapu, were among the award-winners, who will now be put forward for further recognition at the New Zealand Architecture Awards.
The Kina’s sustainable and biophilic philosophy was praised by judges, with its organic, circular shape intended to create a safe and nurturing environment that enhanced cognitive function and emotional wellbeing.
Head of School, Caroline Rennie, said the school had relentlessly sourced materials ethically and sustainably to create a design that had a light footprint on the whenua while inspiring joy and a sense of magic in young Green School learners.
“To achieve this, we carved out time to have intentional conversations with our school community about the impacts of every decision – a real challenge – and we would like to acknowledge the mahi of learners and staff in supporting this process.”
