Taunga Waka Rererangi o Kirikiriroa Hamilton Airport – a vital gateway to the Waikato Region
As part of a structural upgrade to Hamilton Airport, WRAL wanted to reinvigorate and modernise the existing terminal. The Brief was to create a calm, coherent and welcoming environment with an enduring local and cultural identity.
A Narrative developed with the project’s Cultural Adviser included ideas of Waharoa (gateway), Manaakitanga (care/being a good host) and Kotahitanga (unity).
The ceiling symbolises the crossing of paths, converging and diverging, as time moves and people come together, life’s cyclic pattern. It speaks of our shared humanity.
Colour, pattern and texture of the carpet varies through the terminal, responding to the movement of visitors and their occupation of different spaces.
These visual shifts evoke the patterns of movement and settlement over time The refined material and colour palette is utilised throughout, with the ground floor treatment responding to Papatuanuku (Earth Mother), the mezzanine to Ranginui (Sky Father).
The airport is now a place Waikato people can be proud to call their own - a strong connection to the local community has been woven throughout the terminal design, with artwork added by local artists so that home looks like home - a place for all, to stop, pause and transition between earth and sky.
Awards:
New Zealand Architecture Awards 2024
Waikato & Bay of Plenty Architecture Award
Interior Architecture
Waikato & Bay of Plenty Architecture Award
Colour Award
NZ Timber Awards 2023
Category 5: Interior Design
Highly Commended
Best Awards 2023
Private, Public and Institutional Spaces
Bronze Award
Colour Award Spatial
Finalist
Interior Design Awards 2023
Civic
Finalist
New Zealand Architecture Awards 2024
Waikato & Bay of Plenty Architecture Award 2024
Jury Panel Citation:
What started as a furniture refresh evolved into a multi- year refurbishment and seismic strengthening project that would challenge the design team to deliver a coherent and welcoming place. At the crossing point of transit between earth and sky, arrival and departure, there is now a clear cultural identity that speaks to site and context. The design stripped back clutter and a motley collection of materials and objects that had gathered like lost luggage over time. The result is clear wayfinding, connection between spaces, improved functionality, flow and performance in a welcoming environment.
The cultural narrative established at the outset enabled a clear story to be manifested in design and detailing. It speaks of the site's former position as a crossing point of pathways and trading routes and was used as a touchstone by the wider design team, other disciplines and artists. The hero is the patterned ceiling, a protective cloak symbolising intersecting paths and life's cyclical patterns, which unifies disparate existing roofs.