Toto Whare
By Bull O'Sullivan Architecture
Maori say there are 12 levels to heaven.
These twelve heavens are referred to as nga rangi tuhaha (the bespaced heavens), they are supposed to be arranged in an orderly manner one above the other.
Each of these heavens, it was taught, has its own series of heavenly bodies, or luminaries: its sun, moon, and stars, also its clouds and waters. Our luminaries, as seen from our position on the body of the Earth Mother, are those of the first of the twelve heavens (counting upward), the name of which is Rangi-nui-a-Tamaku, but which is often referred to as Rangi-nui-e-tu-nei (the great sky standing above).
The great NZ state house resides, I believe, somewhere between Rangi Mataura Rangi mataaho and Rangi tauru nui.
What the Toto family have done upon this land is enabled the access to the higher heavens by way of Tane Mahuta’s cousins and friends from Portugal. The exterior is split like a flag from the prophet Te Kooti: strong, proud and full of energy from the rising sun.
This family home of Lyttleton must be acknowledged as being closest to the highest heaven, being full of love, warmth and nurture.
Date: 2019
Winner of the 2020 Sir Ian Athfield Award For Housing
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Toto Whare
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The BOS Practice is driven by the pursuit of quality - a belief that our surroundings directly influence the quality of our lives, whether in the workplace, at home or the public spaces and structures in between. It is not just buildings but urban design that affects our wellbeing. We are concerned with the physical context of a project, sensitive to the culture and climate of their place. We have applied the same priorities from housing to education to furniture.
The BOS philosophy and values that inspire every project are the same regardless of scale or size. This explains why no detail is too small in its importance for the BOS Practice and why the same amount of care and attention will be lavished on the design of a door handle, a tap, or a piece of furniture.
These, after all, are the elements of the environment that we physically touch every day of our lies. The BOS Practice believes the quality of a project is not necessarily related to how much it costs, but rather how wisely the resources of time and money are spent. The setting of standards is more about an attitude of mind in defining goals and honouring commitments. In that sense the most important things have not changed - in particular the philosophy of quality and optimism at the most personal of levels.
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