Gisborne & Hawke's Bay Architecture Awards

Written By Charissa Snijders
 
 

What a night! I was thrilled to be part of Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA celebration of the Gisborne & Hawke's Bay Architecture Awards. It was great to be able to celebrate this with my clients - Unison Networks. It meant a lot to have them join the celebration and be part of the acknowledgment and recognition of a great project. As always this couldn't have been realised without a great team - in particular a big thanks to Paul Humphreys, Project Engineer for Unison and Tricia Love Consultants - our superstar sustainability consultants.

 
 

Unison's vision is to be leaders in sustainability in their field. And this switchroom was the perfect platform to showcase their commitment. In doing so, we challenged the status quo at every step of the process and we came up with something transformational and a world first. In every way this project has delivered. Not only with the ripple effects within the industry; the positive response from the community and the positive impact this project provides, it also has been recognised by our peers - both within the network and architectural industry. In 2022, it was awarded the NZ Energy Excellence Award for Low Carbon Future Award, in 2023 we received the Living Building Petal Certification Vs 4.0 for Infrastructure and Landscape typology - a first in the world...and now this award. We feel truly honoured to have received these awards as we see it as a reflection of a project well done and one that is transforming the industry towards a regenerative future.

Charissa Snijders

Charissa is an award-winning Registered Architect and Fellow of the NZIA, drawing on 25 years of professional experience. Her practice is design-led and committed to delivering regenerative living architecture – places that inspire and delight. Charissa has undertaken a lifelong commitment to learning and applying multiple modalities that bestow her the skills and authority to bridge the sacred with the physical. With her team she brings beauty into form, creating places that nurture potential and enrich relationships with others and the world around us.

Charissa’s approach is truly collaborative with her client as an integral partner on the team at every stage of the design and building process. Charissa oversees the delivery and documentation of the concept design with the support and expertise of her team. She coordinates and delivers an inspired outcome that is not preconceived, rather a combination of the client’s unique requirements, the story of the land and the budget. The aim is always to achieve an outcome beyond the client’s expectations. For Charissa, a successful project inspires authentic living; bringing greater meaning to all those who experience it.

http://csaarchitect.co.nz/
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