The University of Auckland’s new recreation centre was opened by Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for Infrastructure and Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland, Professor Dawn Freshwater.
The eight-storey building, complete with rooftop turf, pool, and state-of-the-art sports halls, is being used by staff, students and the public as part of the University’s concerted focus on balancing well-being with academia.
The centre’s name Hiwa, gifted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, means ‘vigorous, active, robust and sound’, reflecting the University’s aspirations for growth and well-being. The 26,000sqm facility covers a space equivalent to roughly 3.7 rugby pitches or 100 standard tennis courts and is located on Symonds Street in the heart of Auckland.
With an innovative vertically ‘stacked’ design, it centralises the University’s sport and recreation services into a single premises, overcoming the spatial constraints of its central city location.
Features include a premier rooftop multi-sport turf and two sports halls with the southern hemisphere’s first glass sports floor with integrated LED markings to accommodate six different sports. It also holds capacity for 1,500 spectators, a running track, an eight-lane 33-metre lap pool, a dive tank, spa and sauna, climbing wall, group exercise studios, combat sports studio and expansive cardio and weights areas that make it one of the largest gym fit-outs in the southern hemisphere.
As a focal point on campus, Hiwa Recreation Centre is designed to enrich campus life by connecting learning, sporting and social facilities.
The building was designed by Warren and Mahoney in partnership with MJMA Architecture and Design, and constructed by Hawkins, in consultation with Rider Levett Bucknall, Beca and Colliers.
It is the most multi-faceted building on campus, requiring 500 workers on site at the peak of construction. The University’s chief property officer Simon Neale says Hiwa Recreation Centre is the most complex build the University has ever undertaken.
“The project was not without its challenges, being delivered through one of the most challenging periods for the construction industry in New Zealand. The consultant and construction team masterfully navigated the Covid pandemic, supply-chain issues, moving 40-tonne trusses and vast pre-cast concrete beams for the pool hall roof overnight and at weekends.
“But thousands of people and many businesses helped us deliver this significant project for the University, with a strong ethos of partnership between all those involved enabling us to overcome the challenges and to deliver an outstanding facility which will support the health and well-being of our student and staff communities, and high-performance sport, for many years to come.”
Hiwa serves as a vibrant community hub, offering a café, social spaces and versatile indoor and outdoor areas for various activities. The University’s physical education programmes and exercise science students will also use the facility.