Architecture | Te Mirumiru
A marvel of modern architecture The Te Mirumiru childcare centre in Kawakawa is a stunning piece of architecture designed to not only fit into its natural surrounding, but to have the least impact on them as possible. Designed by Collingridge and Smith Architects, Te Mirumiru achieved a 6 Green Star rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council; one of only three buildings in New Zealand to attain this, and the only Green Star-rated early childhood center in the whole of Australasia. The passive environmental features include north facing glazing, a super insulated earth roof, rainwater capture and a solar hot water underfloor system. All spaces are naturally
lit and need no additional electrical lighting during the day. The result is a building that is 70 percent more energy efficient than a similar code compliant building. Harnessing the natural environment, the design uses natural ventilation and mass to cool, sun to heat, daylight for lighting and rainwater harvesting to supply water, whilst the grass roof and bank blend seamlessly into the natural ecology.
About Te Mirumiru Architects - Collingridge and Smith Architects (CASA) Location - Kawakawa, Northland Structural engineers - McNaughton Consulting Engineers Client - Ngati Hine Health Trust Quantity surveyors - Kwanto Gross internal floor area - 572 sqm Total cost - $2.2 million Lighting consultant - Mike Renwick, Lighthouse Remuera Main contractor - Howard Harnett Builders Photographs by Simon Devitt Guyco Joinery Ltd are proud to be the suppliers of quality joinery and kitchens to Collingridge & Smith Architect • JOINERY INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR • OFFICE AND SHOP FIT OUTS • KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS • DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE
Photo: Te Mirumiru Early Childhood Education Centre in Kawakawa (image courtesy of Simon Devitt)
Phone: (09) 4700 653 or 0800 438 111 Address: 8-10 Rewa Rewa Road, Whangarei www.guyco.co.nz
Kitchens & Joinery
LE
LIDDINGTON ELECTRICAL
For High Quality, Guaranteed Workmanship. Servicing Northland for over 25 Years Commercial, Domestic & Rural Work Home Automation
Liddington Electrical are proud to be involved in the award winning project - Te Mirumiru
Ph Dave WR 434 3708 Mob: 0274 93 22 07
www.liddingtonelectrical.co.nz
68 November 2014 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz
Built for Ngâti Hine Health Trust in Kawakawa, the design brief called for a building which would not only accommodate the client’s children, but would teach them about their culture and customs on a daily basis, whilst having a minimal impact on the environment. “Our concept for the building is based on the Maori tradition that all life is born from the womb of Papatûânuku (earth mother), under the sea: the word for land (whenua) in Maori also means placenta,” Collingridge and Smith say of the project. Maori architecture is historically rich in symbolism, and so the design is conceived by shaping the land into a womb-like form, with the building forming just like a baby within: the building literally grows out of the land. The only opening to the building is along the north facade, and reads as a cut in the earth. The building is located on marshy ground, with the ‘womb-like form’ appearing as an island, relating back to the tradition that all land is born from under the sea. A bridge is formed to give access to the island, which is symbolically shaped into the tribal waka (canoe) Ngâtokimatawhaorua, representing the journey of the tribes forefathers from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.
The earth that mounds up over the building makes reference to Ngâti Hine-pukerau (Ngâti Hine of a hundred hills - a local name derived from the landscape). The interior, below the earth, represents the nearby Waiomio caves where the ancestors lay buried and the Ruapekapeka pâ where the ancestor Kawiti cleverly used underground shelters as defence from attack. The circular form of the design also draws inspiration from traditional pâ. It was equally important to integrate passive environmental design features into the building, so all ‘symbolic’ features have many environmental purposes: all glazing is oriented to the north for maximum solar gain, whilst the super-insulated earth roof results in minimal heat loss, which is further assisted by the unheated circulation space placed to the south. For further internal comfort, exposed concrete construction and natural ventilation allows the building to be passively cooled in summer, with minimal heating back-up in winter provided by a solar hot water underfloor system.
About Collingridge and Smith Architects Collingridge and Smith Architects is an award winning international architectural practice, founded by Graham Collingridge and Phil Smith in 2012, delivering unique, innovative and sustainable architecture. The practice carefully combines architectural, landscape, interior and furniture design skills to ensure that projects achieve a holistic integrity. With offices in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, Collingridge and Smith Architects design and deliver projects that range from refurbishments to new builds, from domestic scale to urban master plans and from conception to completion. AT
Collingridge and Smith Architects Ltd 28 Spencer Street Remuera Auckland T (09) 529 0403 E phil@casa-uk.com www.casa-uk.com
— Advertising Feature