---
title: Two award-winning buildings in New Zealand
url: "https://www.systra.com/en/news/two-award-winning-buildings-in-new-zealand/"
type: post
date_published: 2026-07-16
date_modified: 2026-07-27
schema:
  @type: Article
language: en-US
word_count: 422
reading_time: 3 min
canonical: "https://www.systra.com/en/news/two-award-winning-buildings-in-new-zealand/"
featured_image: "https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/court-theatre-2-credit-simon-devitt.jpg"
categories:
  - Non classé
---

# Two award-winning buildings in New Zealand

![Two award-winning buildings in New Zealand](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/court-theatre-2-credit-simon-devitt.jpg)

Organised by Property Council New Zealand, the
**Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards** recognise excellence in the
country’s property and built-environment sector. Property Council New Zealand
represents more than 600 member companies and over 10,000 property
professionals.

## The Court Theatre: a new cultural landmark for Christchurch

The new **Court Theatre** in Ōtautahi Christchurch received the
**Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Judges’ Choice Award**, a new category recognising
projects of outstanding civic value.

![court-theatre-credit-simon-devitt](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/court-theatre-credit-simon-devitt.jpg)

_The Court Theatre. Credit: Simon Devitt_

Located in the city’s Performing Arts Precinct, the building provides a
permanent home for New Zealand’s largest professional theatre company and
creates a welcoming cultural venue designed around performance, accessibility
and community life. The venue includes a 360-seat main playhouse and a 130-seat
studio theatre, alongside rehearsal, production, set-building, costume-making
and front-of-house facilities.

BG&E New Zealand provided façade structural engineering services for the
project. Working within a particularly compressed 12-week design programme, the
team developed robust and efficient structural solutions that supported the
architectural vision, construction methodology and complex interfaces across the
façade.

## Kōawa: connecting education with the creative industries

The **Kōawa Post-Production Building at the University of Canterbury **won the
Colliers **Project Leaders Education Property Award**.

Spanning 1,400 m², the new production and post-production facility enables
students, researchers and industry professionals to work in an industry-standard
environment. The wider Kōawa Studios complex also includes a 200 m²
virtual-production and green-screen stage, motion-capture facilities, sound
recording and editing studios, and a 171-seat multipurpose theatre. Together,
these facilities foster collaboration between the university and New Zealand’s
film, television, gaming and immersive-media industries.

As building enclosure engineer, BG&E New Zealand helped deliver the building’s
distinctive external envelope, including a façade designed to be illuminated and
animated in response to the digital and screen-based activities taking place
inside.

![pratik-rajan](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/pratik-rajan.jpg)

> Kōawa sets a strong benchmark for industry-connected learning environments.
> Our involvement extended from early design collaboration with Ignite and the
> wider project team through to construction, working closely with Southbase and
> key subcontractors to help turn the design intent into robust, buildable
> enclosure solutions. It is a strong example of what can be achieved when that
> joined-up approach is maintained from concept to completion.
> Pratik RAJAN, Senior Facade Engineer, BG&E New Zealand

**Categories:** Non classé