Prestigious Award for Paeroa Town Centre

Project Designers SOUL Environments scooped a Gold Award for Urban Design in Wellington last Saturday.

The town centre main street landscaping at the Paeroa Post Office was recognised with a Gold Award in the category “Landscape Design – Urban design” from The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects. The award was made at the prestigious Awards Ceremony and Dinner held on Friday 16 April at Te Papa in Wellington, to SOUL Environments, the project designers. The event was attended by Mayor John Tregidga and Paeroa Ward Chairperson Julie Bubb.

The awards, made every second year, result from evaluation of a wide range of nominated landscape projects throughout New Zealand. Award winning projects are featured in Landscape Architecture New Zealand magazine and other general interest media.

The design citation commends the appropriateness of the design and the design response to the existing character of the surroundings.

“I’m over the moon” states Hauraki Mayor John Tregidga. “To come away with gold was exciting and a credit to SOUL who were up against some major players in the industry and a high caliber of entries.” Councillor Julie Bubb adds, “I am ecstatic that the Post Office landscaping is up there with the best design in New Zealand. Congratulations to all involved in the project especially to Soul Environments”.

SOUL Environments was commissioned by Hauraki District Council for the project on the basis of a preliminary design submitted to Ward Committee and the Mayoral Advisory Group, in competition with three other landscape design firms.

“We are thrilled that Paeroa Public Square received a Gold award at the NZILA 2010 Pride of Place awards. The awards are the highest recognition of excellence within the Landscape Architecture profession. Judges travelled the length and breadth of the country, critically assessing numerous projects for exemplary design and planning.

This award affirms the project as a jewel on the nation-wide stage, and is testimony to the faith and commitment of all those who helped realise the vision“ says Catherine Hamilton, creative director of SOUL Environments.

The construction work was performed and managed by Hauraki District Council’s own Construction and Maintenance Business Unit. Engineering design input was from Opus International Consultants. Coromandel Project Consultants Limited provided the project management.