This building just took out the Purple Pin Supreme Spatial award at the BEST awards in October 2013. It is a fabulous building and one that shows how well designed carpet tile can add hugely to both the quality but also the living environment of a building.

While function and usability have been considered throughout, the building’s success really comes from a brief guided by three of AUT’s strategic visions: to engage the community; enhance academic learning; and enhance the campus

This is a building very much of its time. It connects what was quite a disparate campus. It responds cleverly and flexibly to a changing world. It creates nooks and crannies for the student body to live and work within. And very importantly it works. Brilliant design built with the student body in mind.

The carpet tile itself has a 20 year warranty including castor chairs. It incorporates dye-batch mergeable random patterned carpet tile so any maintenance will be so simple.

The charcoal colouration works magically both aesthetically but also to hide soiling until the cleaners arrive. It’s an awesome building, thoroughly thought through in the design and products specified. This will always be one of Auckland’s best buildings and thoroughly deserves the purple pin award for 2013.