Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery
A contemporary revitalisation of one of Aotearoa’s most significant cultural landmarks, Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery has been thoughtfully renewed to serve future generations. Located in the heart of Whanganui, the gallery holds a permanent collection of more than 8,300 works spanning 400 years of international and New Zealand art history. Long valued as both a civic treasure and community hub, the category one heritage building has now been restored and extended in a way that honours its past while supporting its future.
The result is a project of national importance that has already earned wide recognition, including a place on National Geographic’s Best Cultural Spots list and a Purple Pin at the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Awards.
Designed by Warren and Mahoney Wellington Studio, the project reflects a deep respect for history, place and cultural narrative. The original Sarjeant Gallery, built in Oamaru stone in the form of a neo-classical Greek cross, carries immense architectural and civic value. Its renewal called for a careful balance of restoration, seismic strengthening and contemporary expansion.
The new wing, Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa, has been designed in collaboration with Te Kāhui Toi o Tūpoho. The cultural narrative is told through a distinctly Whanganui lens, drawing on the relationship between Te Awa Tupua, mana whenua, the land, and the river.
From the shimmering tioata on the façade to the waka-bridge and material detailing throughout, the project becomes a living expression of partnership and place.
The flooring and surface palette for the Sarjeant Gallery needed to do two things well. It needed to perform across public, back-of-house and transitional spaces, while supporting the wider architectural story.
TimberTop brings warmth and natural character to the interior, sitting comfortably alongside both the restored heritage building and the contemporary new work. Regupol acoustic underlay improves comfort underfoot and helps manage impact sound in high-use circulation areas.
Tarkett linoleum provides a durable, natural flooring solution with a timeless quality – well-suited to a public civic space. iQ Surface vinyl offers a resilient, hard-wearing finish designed for long-term use.
The Refin tiles play an important role in the project’s cultural storytelling. Installed in patterns that support the wider narrative, they contribute to a material language that is expressive and grounded.
Refin Tune brings a quiet, softly textured finish to the palette. Refin Prestigio adds visual richness in feature areas. Basaltina provides a strong, stone-like surface suited to heavy foot traffic. Together, the ceramics create a flooring scheme that feels resolved, durable and deeply connected to the significance of the gallery.
Jacobsen’s contribution extended well beyond product supply. Working closely with the wider project team, Jacobsen helped navigate technical challenges on site and supported the delivery of a complex, highly detailed civic project. This included problem-solving around the timber and rubber flooring elements, as well as helping source the natural stone used at the feature entrance on the bridge.
Jacobsen also assisted with outsourcing the cutting and grooving of that stone so it could be realised as intended within one of the project’s defining architectural moments. That practical support helped ensure the flooring package responded not only to the design vision, but also to the realities of construction and long-term performance.
Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery is a powerful example of how restoration and contemporary design can work together to strengthen cultural legacy. Respectful of the original building and ambitious in its future-facing vision, the project restores the gallery’s mana while creating new opportunities for community connection, exhibition and engagement.
With a carefully resolved mix of materials and strong collaboration across the project team, the renewed gallery stands as a landmark for Whanganui and a place that will continue to shape the cultural life of the city for years to come.
