Reposted from Te Mātārere The Bulletin (Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA)
Biophilic Design Awards
Congratulations to Pā Reo Campus, winners of the Urban and Community Scale Category in the 2025 Living Future Institute of Australia's Biophilic Design Awards!
Designed by Tennent Brown Architects Ltd, the project was recognised for its powerful cultural narrative and ecological integration. The jury noted:
“Pā Reo is a beautifully layered project that rebalances natural and cultural landscapes. It embraces climate-responsive design, honours Indigenous ecologies and brings people into meaningful connection with nature, place and community.”
This is the first year the Biophilic Awards accepted New Zealand entries. Notably, one in four entries were from New Zealand, and two of the three winning projects are from here.
Aotearoa is punching well above its weight in the global Living Building Challenge and Living Future Certification Programme movement, with 15% of the world’s Declare labels. We also lead in certified projects per capita, with four certified Living Buildings (one fully certified, three in progress) and three additional Petal Certifications.
Living Future Zero Carbon certification is also the world’s fastest growing.