Buildings ranging from an office tower in Auckland to an opera house in Oamaru, from houses on Waiheke Island to an apartment in New York City, and from a railway station in Newmarket to a bus shelter in Queenstown, are among 24 projects recognised in the 2011 New Zealand Architecture Awards, New Zealand’s premier architecture competition.

A slick new heliport in Onehunga, a bold extension to the City Gallery in Wellington, a bravura visitor centre for the historic Waitomo Glowworm Caves, and a serene Hawkes Bay house designed by Sir Miles Warren in the 1970s were among the winners in the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ official awards programme.

The New Zealand Architecture Awards indicate the breadth of work undertaken by the country’s architects, and offer a snapshot of the state of the country’s architecture, says Awards jury convenor, Wellington architect Hugh Tennent.

“The Awards are evidence that New Zealand architecture is in a healthy and vibrant state, despite current economic and financial difficulties,” says Tennent.

The Heliport’s citation reads as follows

Category – Commercial Architecture

NZIA Practice – Maxcey Architects Ltd

Citation – A shed as elegant as the machines it houses, the Heliport is a highly competent response to a client’s particular operational needs. The planning, which anticipates future expansion, is clever and rigorous, and the building is carefully detailed to telling effect. The Architect has satisfied the requirements of the building’s brief and, with the encouragement of the client, has transcended the pragmatic nature of the building’s genre. Bringing transparency and translucency to internal walls and the operable southern facade, the Architect has designed a building that celebrates flight and flying machines. For viewers as well as users, the Heliport offers an uplifting experience – its glamour may be appreciated not only by passengers, but also by pedestrians making more mundane journeys along the adjacent walkway of the Manukau Harbour edge.