OREANDA-NEWS. A unique building at The District at Auckland Airport has won a top accolade at the World Architecture Festival Awards in Singapore overnight.

Designed by Fearon Hay Architects, Te Kaitaka has been declared winner in the Display Buildings category.

Held annually, the World Architecture Festival recognises the world's most uniquearchitecture projects. Almost 300 projects competed in this year's awards; with Fearon Hay's work one of four shortlisted projects from around the world in the Display Buildings category.

Te Kaitaka, also known as 'The Cloak', was recognised for bringing together challenging design strategies, including a brass mesh cloak and living roof structure supported over a lattice of engineered timber. The contours of the living roof reflect local landforms, the profile drawn from the topography of the Manukau Heads.

Beyond the structural form, the texture and presence of the building sought to translate the framework of the rare Maori garment itself, creating the distinctive appearance of a Kaitaka cloak.

Jeff Fearon and Tim Hay are thrilled the building has been recognised.

“Te Kaitaka gave us the opportunity to create a building with a strong presence and distinct personality, drawn from the essence of New Zealand. The award demonstrates that work being carried out in this country continues to strengthen and successfully compete on a world stage,” say the architects.

Auckland Airport's general manager of property Mark Thomson says that the Airport is proud to see New Zealand design recognised on a global level.

“We wanted to create a space that had sustainable elements and was innovative in design. Fearon Hay turned our vision into a functional space which looks beautiful, is sustainable and embraces rich aspects of New Zealand's culture. To have Te Kaitaka recognised internationally is the cherry on top of a project we're already very proud of.”

Te Kaitaka was built as a flexible space for Auckland Airport to host meetings and events and to showcase the creative design possibilities at The District, one of New Zealand's premier business locations. It is one of several unique features of the Airport District which also includes free recreation spaces such as an Outdoor Gallery, the newly-opened Footy Field and the Runway Mountain Bike Park.