Waterworks Building, MOTAT, Auckland
Project info
The Waterworks building, known as the Pumphouse, was designed by distinguished engineer Williams Errington and constructed in 1877. It was built to house a beam engine used to pump water from Western Springs to a reservoir on Khyber Pass Road that served Auckland City. It is an impressive example of Victorian industrial architecture and features some fine brick and stone detailing. The pumping machinery is the most intact in New Zealand.
DPA Architects acted as Project and Conservation Architects, working closely with structural engineers on the seismic strengthening of the building. The practice produced a conservation plan to guide the restoration, undertook a detailed survey of damage and documented the work required, working closely with specialist tradesmen, including stonemasons, bricklayers, slate roofers and lead workers. A separate project involving the restoration of the beam engine was undertaken by MOTAT volunteers.
The project was the recipient of a prestigious UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Merit in 2009. It also received a Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Auckland Award for Architecture.
DPA Architects acted as Project and Conservation Architects, working closely with structural engineers on the seismic strengthening of the building. The practice produced a conservation plan to guide the restoration, undertook a detailed survey of damage and documented the work required, working closely with specialist tradesmen, including stonemasons, bricklayers, slate roofers and lead workers. A separate project involving the restoration of the beam engine was undertaken by MOTAT volunteers.
The project was the recipient of a prestigious UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Merit in 2009. It also received a Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Auckland Award for Architecture.
