Waikato Business News December 2017/January 2018

26
BUSINESS SUCCESS 2017
Opus award for
university Law and
Management building
Opus Architecture have recently won
another award for their work on Waikato
University’s new Law and Management
Building, Te Piringa, this time taking out the
top national award in education at the New
Zealand Architecture Awards.
By CAITLAN JOHNSTON
Te Piringa, Faculty of
Law was a project led
by managing architect,
Hendrik Vermeulen of Opus International
Consultants, and has
won a number of other awards
throughout the year. Vermeulen
and his team are based in
Hamilton and have created numerous
award winning projects
throughout the country.
The multi-award winning
Law and Management building
has been designed to be a cornerstone
for the Waikato University,
serving as the gateway
into the already existing cam-
pus. The mass building sits on a
challenging slope in a position
giving views of the surrounding
mountains. A green roof
serves as an extension to the
mountains and a sunken courtyard
brings natural light in the
interior. The building offers a
dynamic multifunctional place
for people to meet and learn.
“This building has the ability
to create space for people to
gather, to learn and to create.
Throughout the design we have
used architecture as an expression
of how you learn” says Mr
Vermeulen.
When designing the law
faculty, the philosophy that law
is an important cornerstone of
civilised society heavily influenced
the selection of materials.
“The concrete represents
strength, the steel represents
solidity, the glass represents
transparency and the timber
represents nature. Law is a cornerstone
of any civilised society,
it has to be solid and transparent,”
says Mr Vermeulen.
The sustainable design features
throughout the building is
what makes Te Piringa a multiaward
winning building.
As well as the New Zealand
Architecture award, Opus has
also received the 2017 Gold
Award at the New Zealand
Commercial Project Awards,
the Monte Craven Architectural
award from the NZ Concrete
Society, the 2017 Silver Award
at the Design Institute of New
Zealand Best Design Awards
and the 2017 NZIA Resene
Local Award for Architecture
since the building’s completion
in 2016.
Opus’ Hamilton office has
been operating in the region
since 1887 with its roots as the
Ministry of Works. It is part of
Opus International Consultants,
a leading and highly respected
engineering and architecture
firm that works with clients on a
global scale. The team at Opus
bring a wealth of experience enabling
them to work on leading
major infrastructure projects
that go on to be award winning.
Most recently, Opus has
merged with WSP, a top international
engineering consulting
professional services firm headquartered
in Canada. Together,
the company now operates in
a total of 40 different countries
with a strong professional
workforce of 42,000.
www.opus.co.nz
Opus
Multi-award winners
in the Waikato
Opus are proud of our award-winning work
for the University of Waikato’s new
Law and Management Building.
The Monte Craven
Architectural Award
For more great award-winning work contact
Hendrik Vermeulen at the Opus Hamilton office
phone +64 7 858 7929, mobile +64 27 286 6249,
email Hendrik.Vermeulen@opus.co.nz