Whau

Whau cafe was a special project with the Tupuna Maunga Authority, to refurbish the existing cafe on Maungawhau (Mt Eden) volcano. Maungawhau means ‘The hill of the Whau tree’. A deep research and learning phase was undertaken to understand the significance of the Whau tree and Maungawhau to Maori. This understanding was used to develop a design language and materiality and was then layered on top the existing colonial building, representing a contemporary joining of the two cultures and histories. The Whau leaf was used as a brand image and the typographical forms of the Auckland’s maunga’s was routed into the table tops. The Authority were extremely happy with the result.