TE AUMIHI
MARINE BASE
TE AUMIHI
MARINE BASE
TE AUMIHI
MARINE BASE
TE AUMIHI
MARINE BASE
Wellington, New Zealand
Positioned on the Inter-Island Wharf within the working heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Aumihi is an essential marine operations base supporting the harbour’s 24-hour activity. Home to marine engineers, tug operators and harbour pilots, the new facility replaces a temporary structure with a purpose-built workplace that balances resilience, efficiency and care for those who keep the port moving.
Gifted its name by Taranaki Whānui, Te Aumihi speaks to the welcoming and farewelling of vessels, evoking the currents, movement and wake of the moana. That meaning is carried quietly through the building’s form and presence: a place of departure and return, embedded in the rhythms of the harbour.
The programme is arranged as a series of prefabricated timber pods linked beneath a continuous gabled canopy and organised around a sheltered social courtyard. This composition separates work, rest and service functions, while creating protected circulation and communal space within an exposed marine environment. Warm timber screens and hardwood decking temper the industrial edge of the wharf, while expressive tug-red trusses anchor the project within the visual language of the port.
Designed for durability and adaptability, the lightweight modules constructed by Makers Fabrication sit on concrete blocks bolted to the wharf deck, allowing future relocation or reconfiguration. Fabricated off-site and delivered by barge across the harbour, the project enabled efficient installation, minimised disruption to port operations, and delivered precision under demanding logistical and site constraints.
Positioned on the Inter-Island Wharf within the working heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Aumihi is an essential marine operations base supporting the harbour’s 24-hour activity. Home to marine engineers, tug operators and harbour pilots, the new facility replaces a temporary structure with a purpose-built workplace that balances resilience, efficiency and care for those who keep the port moving.
Gifted its name by Taranaki Whānui, Te Aumihi speaks to the welcoming and farewelling of vessels, evoking the currents, movement and wake of the moana. That meaning is carried quietly through the building’s form and presence: a place of departure and return, embedded in the rhythms of the harbour.
The programme is arranged as a series of prefabricated timber pods linked beneath a continuous gabled canopy and organised around a sheltered social courtyard. This composition separates work, rest and service functions, while creating protected circulation and communal space within an exposed marine environment. Warm timber screens and hardwood decking temper the industrial edge of the wharf, while expressive tug-red trusses anchor the project within the visual language of the port.
Designed for durability and adaptability, the lightweight modules constructed by Makers Fabrication sit on concrete blocks bolted to the wharf deck, allowing future relocation or reconfiguration. Fabricated off-site and delivered by barge across the harbour, the project enabled efficient installation, minimised disruption to port operations, and delivered precision under demanding logistical and site constraints.
Positioned on the Inter-Island Wharf within the working heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Aumihi is an essential marine operations base supporting the harbour’s 24-hour activity. Home to marine engineers, tug operators and harbour pilots, the new facility replaces a temporary structure with a purpose-built workplace that balances resilience, efficiency and care for those who keep the port moving.
Gifted its name by Taranaki Whānui, Te Aumihi speaks to the welcoming and farewelling of vessels, evoking the currents, movement and wake of the moana. That meaning is carried quietly through the building’s form and presence: a place of departure and return, embedded in the rhythms of the harbour.
The programme is arranged as a series of prefabricated timber pods linked beneath a continuous gabled canopy and organised around a sheltered social courtyard. This composition separates work, rest and service functions, while creating protected circulation and communal space within an exposed marine environment. Warm timber screens and hardwood decking temper the industrial edge of the wharf, while expressive tug-red trusses anchor the project within the visual language of the port.
Designed for durability and adaptability, the lightweight modules constructed by Makers Fabrication sit on concrete blocks bolted to the wharf deck, allowing future relocation or reconfiguration. Fabricated off-site and delivered by barge across the harbour, the project enabled efficient installation, minimised disruption to port operations, and delivered precision under demanding logistical and site constraints.
Positioned on the Inter-Island Wharf within the working heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Aumihi is an essential marine operations base supporting the harbour’s 24-hour activity. Home to marine engineers, tug operators and harbour pilots, the new facility replaces a temporary structure with a purpose-built workplace that balances resilience, efficiency and care for those who keep the port moving.
Gifted its name by Taranaki Whānui, Te Aumihi speaks to the welcoming and farewelling of vessels, evoking the currents, movement and wake of the moana. That meaning is carried quietly through the building’s form and presence: a place of departure and return, embedded in the rhythms of the harbour.
The programme is arranged as a series of prefabricated timber pods linked beneath a continuous gabled canopy and organised around a sheltered social courtyard. This composition separates work, rest and service functions, while creating protected circulation and communal space within an exposed marine environment. Warm timber screens and hardwood decking temper the industrial edge of the wharf, while expressive tug-red trusses anchor the project within the visual language of the port.
Designed for durability and adaptability, the lightweight modules constructed by Makers Fabrication sit on concrete blocks bolted to the wharf deck, allowing future relocation or reconfiguration. Fabricated off site and delivered by barge across the harbour, the project enabled efficient installation, minimised disruption to port operations, and delivered precision under demanding logistical and site constraints.
Positioned on the Inter-Island Wharf within the working heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Aumihi is an essential marine operations base supporting the harbour’s 24-hour activity. Home to marine engineers, tug operators and harbour pilots, the new facility replaces a temporary structure with a purpose-built workplace that balances resilience, efficiency and care for those who keep the port moving.
Gifted its name by Taranaki Whānui, Te Aumihi speaks to the welcoming and farewelling of vessels, evoking the currents, movement and wake of the moana. That meaning is carried quietly through the building’s form and presence: a place of departure and return, embedded in the rhythms of the harbour.
The programme is arranged as a series of prefabricated timber pods linked beneath a continuous gabled canopy and organised around a sheltered social courtyard. This composition separates work, rest and service functions, while creating protected circulation and communal space within an exposed marine environment. Warm timber screens and hardwood decking temper the industrial edge of the wharf, while expressive tug-red trusses anchor the project within the visual language of the port.
Designed for durability and adaptability, the lightweight modules constructed by Makers Fabrication sit on concrete blocks bolted to the wharf deck, allowing future relocation or reconfiguration. Fabricated off-site and delivered by barge across the harbour, the project enabled efficient installation, minimised disruption to port operations, and delivered precision under demanding logistical and site constraints.
Area: 404m² Covered Area | 148m² Internal Area
Type: Infrastructure / Commercial
Year: 2025 | Construction: Makers Fabrication
Photography by Adrian Vercoe