As well as creating a higher capacity and more future-proofed facility, the aim of the Taupō Airport upgrade project is to provide a unique and memorable gateway to our district.
For Paul Raven, who is the project’s lead architect from local architects, Stephenson and Turner, that means making sure the new terminal design tells the story of the Taupō District.
“My focus has always been on how we can make the built environment a better place for people to live in, and an environment that they feel a part of and belong in,” he said.
“Story-telling is always within that and it’s the same for every project we work on; we look at the site, the environment and the people that are part of that, and then work on how we bring that together in the design.”
Having moved to Taupō five years ago to start Stephenson and Turner’s local office, Paul said it is the team’s involvement in design work for numerous projects throughout New Zealand and the Pacific, including airports, that means he is ideally suited to our Airport upgrade.
“The really exciting thing about the project is that we all have the opportunity to make this something that lets people know exactly where they are,” he said. “So many airports are generic; they could be anywhere. Taupō Airport will be the gateway to our district and will tell the story of this place where we live.
“So far it’s been a wonderful journey and a great opportunity to meet and work with people like Ngāti Tūwharetoa / Ruakawa artist and master carver Delani Brown to give a connection to the people, the land and to really tell the stories of the past, the present and maybe the future.”
Rimu logs from Pureora forest and mauri stones from Tauhara are part of the stories, as are depictions of the mountains that surround us and a restored work by Kiwi artist Barry Brickell.
“But the stories will be more than skin deep - they will be within the bones of the building itself,” he said.