Whiti Ora Starship Foundation
By Unison Workspaces
"Under the dawn sky, the name of this building was unveiled. Whiti Ora means Spring, the planting of new seeds, signifying Starship Foundation’s mission to nurture a nation of healthy children."
Starship Foundation were bequeathed a gift to fund a new centre for Research Innovation Collaboration and Excellence, to accelerate world-class health for all tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa. This involved the
refurbishment of a three-story building in Grafton, housing an Education and seminar space, Innovation lab, Content and experience hub and a workspace for the Foundation team and Research Clinical Hub.
The Foundation were gifted a Cultural Narrative by Dame Naida Glavish, the ADHB Cultural Advisor, which tells the story of the Pīpīwharauroa placing its eggs into the Riroriro bird’s nest, to take care of and nurture. This kōrero is embedded in the design, throughout the exterior and interior of the building; the kōwhai tree (and the pīpīwharauroa’s call) indicating the first sign of spring, the curved decking representing Tangaroa and the pīpīwharauroa’s journey to Aotearoa, the glazing manifestations representing Matariki and Mahuru (spring), the thresholds at each level indicating the transfer between spaces ‘gifting over’.
Part of this kōrero and design also speaks to Te Waonui a Tāne, where the pīpīwharauroa lives. This is represented in the levels of the building; the ground level being the forest floor and shrubs, where we get our nutrients and rongoā māori, where manaaki and kai are provided. The first-floor level being the tree canopy where the branches reach new heights for Ranginui , this is where the Foundation and Innovation Teams live. The layout of the walls on this level represents the feeling of ‘swooping’ between the tree tops. This kōrero is also reflected in each of the feature walls throughout the building.
TOA also took into consideration, the tikanga around pōwhiri, manaakitanga and tiakitanga, to care for others.
Donations, large and small, have a real impact on the lives of New Zealand’s really sick and injured children. The Starship Foundation raises funds for projects and initiatives that transform and enhance paediatric healthcare. We couldn’t do this without our generous supporters all around New Zealand.
https://starship.org.nz/foundation/donation-form/
Products used in
Whiti Ora Starship Foundation
Professionals used in
Whiti Ora Starship Foundation
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Professional
Unison is recognised as one of New Zealand market’s leading quality providers of interior commercial furniture and lighting.
Our aim is to provide design led, future proofed, quality, commercial products from world renown suppliers; to help customers create healthy, fun, collaborative, flexible and engaging environments.
We aim to help businesses create a workplace which will:
- Enhance the wellbeing and health of the workforce
- Attract and retain top employees
- Enhance collaboration, innovation and productivity
- Improve bottom line performance
We view the workplace as an “evolution” and never a one-time event, and recognise the importance of offering flexible quality solutions within a range of products and services, allowing our customer’s investment to evolve along with their business strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in the field and access to the world’s leading products, the team behind Unison bring with them the skills, knowledge and passion to help create spaces that drive productivity and long-term value. Unison works in partnership with you on every aspect of your project from planning through to specifying, delivery and after sales support.
We’ve worked with businesses of all sizes and their A&D firms to understand, plan, design, develop, and build great workplaces.
And we recognise the importance of providing exceptional customer service so at we are focused on operational excellence and an enhanced customer experience.
“Research confirms what we know from common sense: a happy and healthy workplace leads to contented, productive staff, improved attraction and retention, stronger financial performance, faster growth, and an effective competitive edge”.
In Unison with Suppliers
Unison has exclusive distribution agreements in New Zealand with a range of world-leading international furniture manufacturers, so we can provide businesses with the right furnishing solution that best fits their needs.
The team at Unison have many years of experience working with leading suppliers, both locally and internationally. From international manufacturers such as Herman Miller, Walter Knoll, Palau, Howe, Segis, Billiani and Muuto, through to local custom manufacturing solutions.
These manufacturers specialise in their respective niches and produce the best options available in the market, this includes:
Herman Miller – workstations, ergonomic seating, meeting room tables, classic designs – Eames, Nelson.
Walter Knoll – extensive soft-seating range German designed but manufactured in Australia.
Muuto - affordable luxury - a complete collection of Scandinavian furniture and lighting
Palau – World leading manufacturer of collaborative solutions and acoustic booths..
Howe – famous 40/4 chair and elegant demountable boardroom room tables
Segis and Billiani – all offer collections of beautifully designed mixed material products for café and contract spaces.