As the Winter Olympics unfold, global attention is focused on performance, precision and the environments that enable human potential. It is fitting, then, to spotlight a project recognised by the International Olympic Committee itself.
Hiwa – the University of Auckland’s world-class recreation centre – embodies that same spirit of movement and momentum. Uniting sport, study and social life within a single vertical hub, the 26,000 square metre facility brings eight levels of high-performance recreation and learning into a tightly constrained city campus.
Gifted its name by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Hiwa means “vigorous, active, robust and sound” – qualities reflected not only in the building’s dynamic form, but in the disciplined, collaborative approach taken to deliver the University’s most ambitious and complex build to date.
Designed by Warren and Mahoney in partnership with MJMA Architecture & Design, constructed by Hawkins, with cost management by Rider Levett Bucknall, the $320 million project has been recognised with several prestigious honours, including the 2025 International Olympic Committee Architecture Prize, the Sport category at the 2025 World Architecture Festival, and the Supreme Award at the 2025 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.
Hiwa stands as a benchmark for integrated sport and campus design — recognised globally, delivered with discipline, and built to serve generations of students and the wider community.
Read the full case study to explore how this award-winning facility was delivered with certainty through complexity.
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