Terrazzo Veneto Paving by the Wharewaka

It is an iconic feature which has been designed to house and preserve the waka - Te raukura, a tonga of Taranaki Whaanuiki Te Upoko of Te Ika and people of Wellington

Horizon International provided the paving products for the much-talked about cultural addition to Wellington’s waterfront — the Wharewaka — using Terrazzo Veneto pavers.

Opened on Waitangi Day 2011, the Wharewaka, situated on Taranaki Wharf, is specifically designed to house and preserve the Te Raukura waka.

Symbolically a permanent expression of Maori art and culture, the exterior of the building illustrates a korowai and is based on the traditional sails of the fleet waka.  The star compass ‘atea’ depicts the navigational aids used by the fleet and is also reflected on the ground outside the house.

Belinda Tuohy from Architecture + worked with Horizon to specify the appropriate pavers for the decorative exterior.

“On the atea,” she says, “or forecourt to the building, the client wished to include the Aronga Mana star compass motif, which has its origins in traditional voyaging navigation. The design is based on a taniko weaving pattern and is comprised of white, grey and red triangles.

“The motif also references Maunga Taranaki and Niho taniwha (teeth of the taniwha). The motif was to be constructed from pavers inlaid the atea in-situ concrete slab, to provide a safely trafficable and durable surface.

“Horizon were able to quickly produce custom samples of the various colour options and were able to complete the manufacture to a tight timeframe. The pavers were produced as specials from the Terrazzo Veneto range of paving manufactured by Horizon. The Terrazzo Veneto range was recommended as the hydraulic method of manufacture produces a paver that is square sized. In addition the pavers are strong dense and colourfast.

“ The pavers needed to be manufactured to the two specified size modules, inside very tight tolerances as they were to be laid with 2-3mm joints.  Half the triangles needed to match the surrounding grey in-situ concrete, with the other half being a white version with a similar aggregate. A few smaller feature triangles needed to be a deep red.

“ The special colours produced fitted the tight dimensional requirements. The final colours complement each other well.

“ The finished atea has been well received, with the client performing cultural ceremonies on the atea, while locals and tourists use the space more informally as a place to visit and hang out.”