ABSTRACT
The design and construction of Te Kura Whare, Tūhoe’s political and cultural hub in Te Urewera, Aotearoa New Zealand, was a critical step in providing the platform, and space for Tūhoe to engage with past and current issues stemming from colonisation, and was Aotearoa’s fist certified Living Building Challenge building. The core purpose for the building was one of regenerating the mauri (life force, vital essence) of Tūhoe and their relationship to Te Urewera. This case study chapter outlines the impact of Te Kura Whare on Tūhoe peoples, on local ecologies, and on the wider architecture and construction in Aotearoa. It provides a discussion of lessons for practitioners learnt from this important project, including that working with and learning from Indigenous cultures provides important and meaningful opportunities to shift built environment paradigms. The chapter concludes that changes are urgently needed to shift conventional architectural and design practices to embrace a more holistic notion of ecological design; one that embraces culture and greater meaning.
