Te Ohu Rangahau Kai
AgResearch / Massey University / Riddet Institute - Palmerston North
NZIA Western Architecture Awards 2021 - Education Award & Resene Colour Award
In collaboration with Warren & Mahoney, the new Te Ohu Rangahau Kai building is a joint facility for AgResearch, Massey University and the Riddet Institute within the Massey Turitea campus. Focusing on food research and development sciences the facility links to the existing food pilot plant of the Riddet Institute and provides a unified hub for AgResearch food-based functions from various sites around the country. Te Ohu is one of the largest agricultural food research centres in New Zealand and expands operations of the nationwide Food HQ innovation network.
The 3-storey facility comprises around 950m2 of pilot plant space for meat, dairy and general foods and 1,700m2 of research laboratories and support spaces in addition to offices, meeting rooms and administration spaces. The ground-floor food pilot plant spaces support the research programme development with industrial finishes and functionality, while the laboratories upstairs are generally adaptable and modular with some dedicated rooms for specific tasks.
Controlled visibility for display and Health & Safety is achieved with considered glazing locations throughout the facility, with linkages through both pilot plant meat and dairy spaces as well as within the laboratories. Colour features have been used throughout to mark fixtures such as wash hand basins, safety showers and eyewashes.
