Hundertwasser Art Centre

The design of the Hundertwasser Art Centre was gifted to the city of Whangārei by visionary Austrian artist, architect and ecological activist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who lived in Northland and died in 2000. Designing and building a work of ‘art’ was never going to be simple. Before a single pile was drilled, the project faced political debate, public opposition, vandalism, and vocal resistance. Yet the vision endured — to honour Hundertwasser’s design and gift to Whangārei.

Compliance was an ongoing challenge. The team worked closely with Whangārei District Council to prove that the building’s undulating floors, ‘worn’ steps, unique design elements and unconventional geometry could meet the New Zealand Building Code. Step by step, collaboration and innovation enabled us to work through these challenges.

Balancing the artistic direction of the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna and compliance with local building standards required precision and care, but was essential to maintaining the integrity of Hundertwasser’s artistic vision. Every detail — from accessibility to finishes — was guided by The Hundertwasser Code for the Realisation of Hundertwasser Architecture Projects. As the project moved forward, the team needed to stay nimble in their approach and overcome hurdles with greater levels of innovation. For many local tradespeople, it meant unlearning habits and relearning craft. Still, they rose to the challenge. Creating curved, hand-finished, imperfectly perfect surfaces demanded artistry as much as construction skill. The result: craftsmanship and creativity are visible in every corner of the building.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery was built from Hundertwasser’s original 1993 sketches and realised with absolute faith to his philosophy of harmony with nature. Hundertwasser believed the straight line had no place in nature. No two windows or doors are the same; no pattern repeats in the tiling or brickwork. The randomness of nature rules.

Some of the details and features of the building include:

• Cast in-situ floor, walls and roof with engineer-designed ‘flowable’ concrete mix
• 76 piles averaging 35 metres deep, drilled into 5 metres of rock at the base
• An undulating floor inside the building replicates the sensation of a forest walk
• The largest afforested roof in the Southern Hemisphere with 800 cubic metres of engineer-designed soil, 150 trees and 3,000 plants.
• 40,000 recycled and repurposed bricks
• More than 3,500 metres of native timber recovered, recycled and reused
• Handcrafted ‘tradespeople as artisan’ finishes throughout – from the floors to the walls, inside and out
• More than 10,000 sheets of gold leaf (1000th mm thick) were hand-applied to the building’s cupola.
• Tightly and diligently managed by the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna to ensure it followed Hundertwasser’s precise guidelines of finishes, the project demanded accuracy, patience, and collaboration across continents.

The final building is quite literally an artwork in itself. Completed in 2021 and officially opened in early 2022, the Hundertwasser Art Centre is a living artwork dedicated to the artist’s vision and philosophy — that “the straight line leads to the downfall of our civilisation.”

It now houses around $16 million worth of Hundertwasser’s works — the only permanent collection outside Vienna — and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, the world’s first gallery dedicated exclusively to contemporary Māori art, and the largest contemporary Māori art collection in the Southern Hemisphere.

Trigg is immensely proud to have delivered such an extraordinary project. Nearly 900 people were inducted to work on site — over 90% from Northland — proving that regional teams can deliver complex, world-class builds with precision and heart.

As an experience and a legacy, the Hundertwasser Art Centre has transformed Whangārei’s waterfront and stands as a landmark of creativity, culture, and community pride — a place that will inspire visitors and New Zealanders for generations.

Awards

Gold Award 2022 NZ Commercial Project Awards

Special Award 2022 NZ Commercial Project Awards