Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua
Care for the land, care for people, go forward 

Located in the flourishing Whangārei fine arts district, the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery contains a gallery of 80 Hundertwasser artworks and includes Aotearoa’s New Zealand’s first and only contemporary Māori art gallery. The living roof concept was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the detail design by Zoë Avery and Renee Davies with design input and oversight from the Hundertwasser Non-Profit Foundation and Springmann Architecture, alongside soil scientist Robyn Simcock, and HB Architecture. The afforested roof was completed in 2022 and has been designed to reflect Hundertwasser’s belief in the importance of integrating nature into the built environment.

“Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery is an original Hundertwasser architecture project. Absolute rationalism, geometric straight lines and the uniformity of modern architecture is abandoned in favour of new values like uniqueness, romanticism, individuality, creativity, especially creativity in harmony with nature. Hundertwasser created houses in which the creativity of nature meets human creativity. In keeping with his philosophy, the Hundertwasser Art Centre restores territories to nature with spontaneous vegetation, tree tenants and an afforested roof.” ~ Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery

The Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof

The design for the living roof afforestation was driven by concept of giving this space back to nature where you would feel like a guest of nature on the roof, just like walking through the forest. 

The forest plantings have been set randomly, wild with spontaneous vegetation beneath the trees where new plants can self-seed as happens in nature. This design was to acknowledge the known and practiced Hundertwasser living roof design practices while respecting New Zealand’s endemic plants, animals and building and resource laws.

Supporting Biodiversity

The Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof creates a rich habitat for plants, insects, and birds, fostering a thriving ecosystem that supports biodiversity. This landmark biodiverse living roof of ~980m2 creates a stunning extension to the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery in for Whāngarei.  This accessible living roof showcases nature-based solutions as an asset to urban environments. 

Zoë Avery and the team aimed to create a forest using New Zealand native Northland specific plants including offshore island, threatened, endangered or rare species. This living roof also home to the rarest tree in the world, the Three Kings Kaikomako, Pennantia baylisiana. The forest plantings include a mix of northland specific endemic plants and the substrate used locally sourced pumice (light weight and porous volcanic rock), zeolite and organic matter (bark fines). 

Other native New Zealand plants flourishing on the Hundertwasser Art Centre’s roof include Corynocarpus laevigatus (karaka), Streblus banksii (milk tree), Sophora chatamica (kowhai), Nestegis apetala (coastal maire), Rhopalostylis sapida (Nikau) and Alectryon excelsus (titoki).

The planting aims to create a woodland (forest) effect with a spontaneous feel to the planting with sight-lines through and between the trunks of the forest trees. Groupings of offshore island nīkau species (as their leaves don’t get so damaged in the wind) are interspersed within the overall forest tree species as per the original planting plan.

Fruiting trees have been included to provide the original concept of visitors within the forest being able to discover and pick fruit from a tree. The fruit trees are a mix of deciduous (to bring autumn colour and seasonal variety) and evergreen species that are particularly successful and iconic in Whangārei.

Paths were designed as permeable and covered in natural materials with no visible edges (apart from fire egress). The planting plan was developed to maximise the amount of roof space dedicated to nature. This plant palette has a diverse mix of exotic fruiting trees and New Zealand natives that are adapted to the local ecological region. Planting includes species that are threatened and found on offshore islands – highlighting the special character and the unique location of the Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei.

The living roof effectively manages stormwater by absorbing and filtering rainwater, reducing runoff volume and mitigating flood risks. This living roof has withstood cyclones and several major weather events since it was installed in 2022.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof project contributes to urban heat island mitigation by incorporating vegetation that provides natural cooling and shading effects.

Environmental Sustainability & Responsibility

The living roof reduces energy consumption by acting as a natural thermal barrier, improving air quality through natural air purification, and providing natural stormwater management solutions. The incorporation of the living roof reduced the requirement for insulation. This was a particularly crucial factor considering the building houses several tāonga (sacred) art pieces which need to be kept at an ambient temperature.

During construction, the project management minimised the carbon footprint by using eco-friendly materials, reducing waste, and implementing responsible transportation and disposal practices. The construction firmly upholds the fundamental principle of ecological sustainability. It not only incorporates long-lasting materials sourced from New Zealand and Europe but also utilises 40,000 reclaimed bricks and 1,600m3 of recycled indigenous timber from the original structure. Furthering the eco-friendly approach, it includes 5,000 repurposed pavers and 3,000m2 of tiles crafted locally.

Biophilic Design

The Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof incorporates natural elements such as native plants, water features, and natural materials, creating a harmonious blend of built and natural environments.

The building, including the living roof, simulates natural features, organic forms of nature rather than the straight edges and right angles typically found in modern architecture. The design of the living roof, included organic materials, curved paths and this all leads to the ground plane landscape with paving following organic shapes, including the koru or spiral shape. The koru, which is often used in Māori art, symbolises creation, and is inspired by the form of a fern frond as it unfurls. The circular design embodies the concept of continuous motion, while the inward spiral signifies a journey back to the source.

Educational Development

The Hundertwasser Art Centre provides educational programs and tours highlighting the benefits of green roofs and serves as a model for sustainable urban development.

The Centre is aligned with nature and individual creativity – showcased alongside high-quality, contemporary Māori art. It also serves as a resource for educational institutions. Driven by the commonalities between Hundertwasser’s vision and te ao Māori – a respect and recognition of Māori customs and protocols – the Centre provides an interdisciplinary learning experience. This encompasses elements of art, identity, architecture, and ecology. Moreover, it aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum, the newly introduced Aotearoa Histories Curriculum, and the local curriculum. In doing so, the Centre reflects upon and educates about some of the most urgent global issues of our time.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof‘s performance is monitored regularly, with data collected on plant health, water management, and biodiversity. 

Design Process

The design process involved interdisciplinary collaboration among green roof experts, landscape designers, architects, engineers, and environmental experts, with input from iwi and community stakeholders to ensure the project met its intended goals.

The story of the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery spans nearly three decades, owed to a dedicated group of community volunteers. The journey began in 1993 when Whangārei’s Mayor invited Hundertwasser to design an art centre. Despite shifting support from the district councils, community backing remained steadfast.

In 2014, a public referendum on the fate of the old Harbour Board building resulted in a majority vote for the construction of the Hundertwasser Art Centre.

“The $33 million NZ project was completed with $18.5 million in funding from the New Zealand Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, managed by Kānoa (Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit). Northland Regional Council contributed $1.5 million. As a result of a referendum in 2015, Whangārei District Council provided $2.97 million towards the cost of earthquake strengthening. Community funds of $10 million were raised from Lotteries, Foundation North and Oxford Sports Trust. Funds were also raised from private and public donations, as well as from sales.” ~ Landscape Architecture Aotearoa

The hurdle of raising over $20 million in two years was surmounted by the volunteers’ tremendous efforts. This marked the first time in New Zealand that such an enormous sum was raised entirely by community volunteers.

Nevertheless, the journey was far from over, with project management, plan drafting, achieving consents, and negotiations still to be completed. Today, the living roofed landmark building stands as a testament to the resilience of a group of people who dared to keep a dream alive, leading to a magnificent landmark on the site of the former Harbour Board Building.

Maintenance & Slope Innovation

Hundertwasser philosophy of spontaneous vegetation has the intension that there is minimal maintenance and interference with nature on the roof. A maintenance plan is in place, including regular inspections, irrigation management, and performance monitoring.

Innovative design was used to maintain the substrate, trees and drainage on the 1:4 slope, utilising the use of an interlocking network structure to retain the substrate and plants. The design load for the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof holds up to 200 visitors.

A World Class Destination

Recipient of the 2023 Auckland Architecture Awards, 2023 World Green Infrastructure Network Built Environment Green Roof Award, and 2023 Gold Qualmark Sustainable Tourism Gold Award, the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery provides Whangārei and Te Tai Tokerau with a world class cultural tourism destination.

An artwork in itself, Whangārei’s Hundertwasser Art Centre is a legacy of Austrian artist and activist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. With its colourful opulent mosaics and undulating walls and floors, the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery creates truly dramatic architecture. The ebb and flow of nature is evident throughout its design and particularly on the living roof.

A winding staircase leads to the afforested living roof and the 8-metre tall, 3.5-tonne, $50,000 NZ gold leaf cupola. Seating offers relaxation within the peaceful oasis in the city. An architectural masterpiece and must-see art destination, visitors can also enjoy 360° views of the living roof, the beautiful Town Basin marina, and spectacular Whangārei Harbour.

Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) 

“As a painter, architect and ecologist Friedensreich Hundertwasser became one of the best-known contemporary Austrian artists of the 20th century. Hundertwasser’s work used bold, bright colours and organic forms, and was strongly inspired by nature.

As from the early 1950s he promoted a more human architecture in harmony with nature. His essays, manifestoes, actions and architecture models underlined his concerns and fight against rationalism in architecture. From the 1980s he realised more than 40 architectural projects all over the world in which there are window rights for the tenants, uneven floors, woods on the roof, tree tenants and spontaneous vegetation.

Hundertwasser was a forerunner of environmental protection and became a symbolic figure for a non-conformist way of life, an ambassador for a self-determined alternative existence.” ~ Hundertwasser Non-Profit Foundation

It’s interesting to note that Wairau in te teo Māori means ‘a hundred waters’, same as Hundertwasser means in German.