Te Ara Pounamu

Designed by Rachel Mechen of RM Designs, Te Ara Pounamu is sited on the historic early-1800s Poutini Ngāi Tahu pā in Greymouth. The facility houses an interactive cultural experience developed with Weta Workshop, detailing the regional pounamu trade and local iwi heritage. The primary architectural gesture is an overhead protective canopy conceptualised as a pākē (flax cloak), referencing historical narratives of guardianship. Structurally, the canopy’s timber grid utilises a geometry derived from traditional woven harvesting nets used along the adjacent river and foreshore.

The building envelope and primary frame prioritise carbon sequestration through mass-timber construction and locally sourced timber cladding. The outer canopy is clad in a semi-translucent skin that filters natural daylight into the interior during operating hours and provides exterior illumination after dark. Set behind this structural cloak, a full-height glazed curtain wall exposes the internal mass-timber structural grid across both the ground floor and mezzanine levels, establishing direct visual continuity between the interior framing and the street front.

Cultural iconography is integrated directly into both the primary structural components and interior finishes. The canopy’s central anchor column is detailed with a Corten steel shield featuring a woven tapestry of local iwi symbols. This aesthetic motif is repeated internally through custom wayfinding screens and mezzanine floor treatments. Within the central double-height spatial void, a suspended mesh chandelier visually references the fluid dynamics of the nearby Grey River. By combining low-carbon mass-timber construction with a high-performance envelope and embedded cultural detailing, the architecture successfully anchors its commercial and educational program within the ecological and historical context of the site.