Ō Tokaanu

Overview:

Ō Tokaanu' was a collaborative project redesigning Tokaanu’s geothermal pools. Ō translates from Māori to mean ‘those of’. When visiting the site, our guide stated that they wanted the design to reflect that the land, people, and water are all connected, and this name embodies that notion.

Ō’s objective is to create a sensory experience that enhances interception. This is done through weaving holistic Māori wellness back into the local vernacular. A sincere interest in intelligent and sustainable design extends to every aspect of the geothermal journey, treading lightly with respect for the past, present and future.

Materiality has been closely considered to help evoke a sense of place. Rammed earth draws similarities from the clay ground at Tokaanu. Charred timber mimics the trees that could not withstand the thermal conditions. A thatched roof references the resilient grasses, and pounamu and rakau illustrate the ancient Maori massage technique Mirimiri.

For the master plan, we decided to stay within the grounds of the current thermal pools. This allowed us to minimise our footprint and retain all the rugged site Tokaanu offers.

Every aspect of this design has been carefully curated to create spacial experiences that evoke a sense of purity and enhances interception - something Tokaanu does so effortlessly - leading to a meaningful connection between land, water, and people.