The Mana Hauora building is a new teaching and learning facility at AUT's South Campus in Manukau, Auckland. As South Auckland's only university campus, a key focus for the design team was ensuring it would feel welcoming for the wider community.

"It was important that Mana Hauora was open to the community; a welcoming place that looks and feels familiar in the surroundings," explains Mary Henry, Associate Principal, Jasmax. 

The interior of the building features classrooms, collaborative social learning spaces for students, lecture theatres, staff offices and an atrium events space. To create a balance between being comfortable and welcoming, but also sophisticated, the designers opted for a refined materials palette including grey carpets and black hardware, with colourful splashes of red, orange and blue in social learning spaces.

To bring in an element of timber, the Jasmax team selected hoop pine to wrap around stairs in the collaborative social learning spaces of the building. "Hoop pine was the right tone to complement the rest of the palette and the timber added warmth to the interior," says Henry.

Additionally, Plytech's Hoop Pine with a red stain was used for lecture theatre lobbies to maintain a consistent look and feel. "Ply is a versatile material. We were able to stain the product to fit with the main lecture theatre palette, while still maintaining the grain and texture of the product," says Henry.

The versatility of Plytech's Hoop Pine is further showcased in select furniture pieces throughout the building, designed by Greenmount Espies. Hoop Pine with a clear finish was used to create furniture for collaborative spaces in the building, including vertical bench dividers and bar stools, as well as seating beneath stairwells.

The individual hoop pine elements of the interior work together to bring warmth and texture to the building, while complementing bolder block colour elements. The overall effect is a warm and welcoming space for students, staff and the wider community.