Description:

AUT’s recently opened student recreation building Te Āhuru contains academic offices and a series of activity spaces for students that reflect the changing nature of play in a digital world.

Working closely with the University project group, the design team built on the organising idea for Te Āhuru to be ‘an aspirational place for wellness and play’. This was used to inform the brief for the supergraphics.

A system for naming spaces was developed that expressed a contemporary idea of what play might mean. The graphic approach is intended to evoke a sense of place that speaks to Te Ao Māori visual culture, alongside contemporary digital technology.

The suite of supergraphic treatments integrates seamlessly into the architecture in order to enhance the buildings functionality and creates a highly memorable and unique sense of place for students and staff.

Photography by Sam Hartnett