The Here Awards are now in their third year, after strong showings in 2021 and 2022. We set out to create a set of awards that felt fit for purpose in the 21st century – a programme that was less about budget and more about design and thinking.
Each year, we call for entries in a variety of categories, before choosing a shortlist which we go and see in person. We then choose finalists, category winners and Best House Aotearoa.
In 2021, that winner was Super Taper by Jack McKinney Architects, in which a 19th-century villa was reconfigured with an ethereal tiled extension. In 2022, the winner was Waimataruru by Pac Studio and Kristina Pickford Design – a sensitive, environmentally minded house borne of a unique relationship between its architects and its designer client.
We are delighted to be entering our third year of the Here Awards with a continued focus on novelty of design and quality of execution – and, after a summer of climate-related crises, focus on sustainability. While entrants have always had to provide a sustainability statement, there is now also a new Sustainable category – we’re excited to see the projects that come through.
The entries are open now, and close on June 30, with judging in September – and we’ll announce the winners and finalists in our October issue. Download an entry pack here for more information, or if you have any questions, email us at hello@thisishere.nz.
We are grateful to our returning sponsors Città , Resene and Blum, and proud to welcome our new vehicle partner, Hyundai New Zealand.
Awards
We're calling for entries in the following categories:
All finalists are eligible for Best House Aotearoa 2023.
How to enter
Enter online here before June 30, 2023. Supply high-res photos and plans, a brief blurb about the project and answer a question on sustainability. Entry packs are available online or by emailing hello@thisishere.nz
Te Rōpū
Meet our rōpū – the panel of decision makers driving this year’s awards. A rōpū in te reo Māori means a committee, group or organisation. We’ve used the word deliberately to connote a progressive, thoughtful approach to our awards, with decisions made by respectful consensus.
Sarosh Mulla – Pac Studio
A director at Pac Studio, Sarosh is an award-winning architect whose humanist, colourful work ranges from the luxurious to the playful across a wide variety of projects, scales and budgets. He has a particular passion for projects that require innovative solutions – specially low-carbon ones. With Kristina Pickford, Pac designed Waimataruru – our Best House Aotearoa 2022.
Kristina Pickford – Kristina Pickford Design
With a background in interior design and the restoration of mid-century classics, Kristina has an exacting eye for composition, form and materials, paired with a fervent dedication to the environment. This is best seen in her commitment to restoring a large piece of land at Ōtama, Coromandel, where she built and co-designed Waimataruru: low-carbon and virtually off-grid.
Caro Robertson – Spacecraft Architects
Caro is a director of Spacecraft Architects, based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Spacecraft is known for achieving the impossible – designing economical homes that possess a rare poetry and a sense of fun for creative clients on difficult sites. She has a particular interest in co-housing – as seen in Block Party (Here 17) which was shortlisted in the Here Awards 2022.
Simon Farrell-Green – Here
Simon is the publisher and editor of Here, which he started in 2020 during a pandemic lockdown with a desire to make something progressive, different and real. He drives the cars, orders the drinks and carries the bags on the Here Awards judging tour.
2023 Dates
April: Call to entry
June 30: Entries close
August/September: Judging
October: Awards announced
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