Te Auaunga Awa – Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom

This colourful and collaborative artwork is both fun and functional, providing a place for the local community to come together, to learn and play. The Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom was not only designed to acknowledge the diverse community of Mt Roskill, many local residents were actively involved in the project, along with the artist and architects, mana whenua and local board members.

Tongan artist Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi collaborated with architects McCoy + Heine to develop the multicultural fāle (house with open sides and a thatched roof) design, using his expertise in the traditional Tongan art of lalava (weaving or lashing). The building references the fāle structures of the Pacific with a thatched roof and open sided posts. The lalava forms represented in the artwork include the tuna (eel) and manu (bird), while the fāle itself uses the kupenga (net) form to express that this is a meeting place for all cultures, and as a metaphor for the collective ideas and aspirations of the local people.

Auckland Council commissioned the design and construction of this integrated artwork to enhance the Te Auaunga Awa Stormwater Project. Te Auaunga Awa – Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom won the Small Project Architecture category at the 2020 NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards.