Overview
Entrant:
RM Designs
Category:
02. Interior Design Award
Photographed by:
Clinton Lloyd
Key team members:
Architectural Design – RM Designs
Structural and Civil Engineering – Engco
Timber Coordination – Xlam (lead) with Woodspan and Techlam
Electrical Engineering – Pedersen Read
Mechanical Engineering – Allserve
Fire Engineer – Engenuity
Contractor – Contract Construction
Peke Waihanga NZ Artificial Limb Service places timber at the heart of both its functional performance and its emotional impact, creating an environment that is warm, culturally grounded, and deeply supportive of patient wellbeing.
Mass timber is the primary structure of the building and the key to the design scope was to see that exposed where possible. CLT wall panels, Glulam beams, and PLT roof panels become a defining interior finish. These elements were intentionally left visible, bringing natural grain, tone, and warmth into the everyday patient experience while expressing the surrounding forest context of Bottle Lake.
The first operational brief from the client spoke of speed, restricted noise to the adjacent facility during the new build and an interior environment that generated healing. This provided all the cues for a mass timber building and dfma philosophy, and in particular exposed timber surfaces with a primary purpose of structure. The ECI approach allowed procurement and early manufacture of all mass timber components during a period of intense price escalation.
Curved internal walls became one of the most technically challenging and distinctive interior features. Their gentle forms soften circulation routes and create a sense of flow, countering the clinical rigidity typical of medical environments. Constructing these curves required gradual pre bending of gib board over an extended period, then fixed to resilient timber batons. This allowed the material to take on the tight curve without cracking or splitting. This slow, deliberate shaping process ensured the finished curves were seamless and tactile, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on comfort and calmness. The pure aesthetic of the PLT is visible as a soffit all in public zones.
Throughout the interior, colours were carefully selected to enhance and complement the natural textures of the timber. The palette remains warm and earthy, stepping away from the typical medial environment. The integration of cultural patterned manifestations within the angled windows, reflect the need for patient privacy and these connect to the entry posts of the building where cultural art is expressed in backlight perforated screens. This biophilic approach supports the project’s therapeutic goals, creating a homelike environment that reduces anxiety for patients who may spend long, emotionally challenging days in the facility.
A central cultural feature the stylised timber tree in the waiting area, acts as both a connection to nature and a symbolic representation of the organisation’s guiding narrative: the Legend of Tāne Mahuta, bringing light and space into the world. As patients enter the light filled reception area, this feature offers a moment of uplift and grounding, echoing themes of strength, growth, and resilience that parallel the rehabilitation journey.
Ultimately, the use of timber structurally and expressively allowed the Peke Waihanga to achieve an interior environment that is warm, meaningful, and deeply connected to both place and culture. Through its exposed structure, curved forms, warm palette and cultural patterns, the interior embodies the strength and compassion at the core of Peke Waihanga’s work.