A new building opened by the University of Otago celebrates one of its most distinguished alumnus, writes Kim Dungey.
Light, bright and welcoming, Dunedin’s newest hall of residence also has Māori concepts and motifs incorporated into its design.
Te Rangihīroa College - the University of Otago’s first new purpose-built residential college in over 50 years - is named after the first Māori medical graduate from a New Zealand university.
Te Rangihīroa (Sir Peter Buck) graduated from the University of Otago in 1904 and played a vital role in improving Māori health standards. Also a decorated soldier and a member of Parliament, he later pursued a passion for anthropology.
Head of campus development Gordon Roy said Te Rangihīroa’s Taranaki-based iwi, Ngāti Mutunga, created a cultural narrative for the building and local mana whenua, Kāi Tahu, also had input into the design.
The most obvious link is the name of the college, high up on the exterior of the building, in a font based on Te Rangihīroa’s own handwriting. There’s a backward slant to the text as the doctor was left-handed.
Whakataukī (proverbs) etched into bluestone near the entrance are designed to inspire the hall’s first-year students to overcome adversity and succeed while the names given to the four wings reflect some of Te Rangihīroa’s personal attributes - courage, determination, resoluteness and resilience.

At the tomokaka (entrance way), the pattern on the pou (posts) acknowledges the movement of people and the journey of learning to be undertaken. Seven faces, representing the days of the week or stages of the moon, will be backlit at night.
Meanwhile, the interior colour scheme was based on the idea of a bubbling spring rising up to land, mountains and sky. Earthy tones on the ground floor give way to greens and blues on the accommodation floors above. The glazing in the central part of the building has a tukutuku knot pattern in the same colours.
The college, which is targeting the New Zealand Green Building Council’s 5-star rating for sustainability, has 450 bedrooms.
Mr Roy said the university originally planned a 300-bed facility but a larger property was more efficient financially. That was partly because of the communal facilities needed.
At Te Rangihīroa, those facilities include flexible study spaces, a large student lounge, a movie room, a soundproof music room, and a media room equipped for gaming. The south courtyard features a half basketball court while the dining room opens on to a north-facing outdoor seating area.
The bedrooms and ten smaller lounges with kitchenettes are spread over five floors and the four wings are connected via a full-height glass circulation space.
"Accessibility is a big element of the college," he says, adding that the New Zealand Building Code is "well out of date" in that area.
"One of the key features is that you can get a wheelchair into every single bedroom. It means students, irrespective of any ability or disability, can meet and socialise with their cohort."

Eight of the rooms also have a remote vibrating unit, which helps hearing-impaired students to wake in the event of a fire alarm sounding. The pad is placed under their pillow.
Another change from the university’s 15 other residential halls is the provision of unisex toilets and showers, each behind its own door.
"Many of our older colleges have segregated bathrooms where it’s more cubicles and not individual rooms. Society over time has wanted more privacy so we’ve reacted to that."
Designed by Jasmax architects, the complex on the corner of Forth and Albany Sts also includes three standalone houses for staff .
Planning began more than five years ago and work started on site in May 2021 with Southbase Construction as the main contractor.
A year-long delay in opening was put down to Covid-related "industry-wide challenges" and the liquidation of the facade subcontractor, Alutech Windows and Doors.
The first students will arrive in February.
Key facts
Site: 7730sqm.
Floor area: Just under 15,000sqm.
Floors: Seven (common areas at ground level, five accommodation levels above and a plant room at the top).
Bedrooms: 450 (300 standard and 150 en suite rooms).
Accessible rooms: 20.
Average standard bedroom: 10.75sqm.
Cost: $104.7million.
Accommodation fee: $19,266 (standard room) or $21,356 (en suite room), plus a partially-refundable activity and placement fee of $921.