Client:
Auckland Council
Location:
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Completion:
2010
Size:
1,800m2
Project Value:
$60m
Contact:
Malcolm Bowes
The Aotea Square Redevelopment Project was initiated when it was discovered that construction decay, caused by years of water ingress, threatened to collapse the car park roof, on which the Square sits. This situation threatened not only the viability of the existing Square but also the Aotea Centre, which is accessed from the Square.
Raising the level of the Square to accommodate the new car park roof presented the opportunity to design a new entry lobby, steps and terraces along the eastern facade of The Edge.
New canopies to the Aotea Centre and Bledisloe entry use elegant steel and fritted glass canopies with aluminium fins to shade the terraces, shelter cafe patrons and afford covered circulation along the edge of the Square.
A new cafe and box office (The Box) has been located adjacent to the main entrance, encouraging activity on the frontage. The cafe opens out onto the terrace overlooking the Square and internally into the main foyer.
New entry portals to the car park were required to accommodate the new Square level. New stairs have been constructed within glazed enclosures that employ a form of architectural glass construction utilising mortise and tenon glass-to-glass construction for the first time in New Zealand.
This delicate and light-filled public concourse forms a sophisticated and layered welcoming edge to Aotea Square. The forest of random columns contributes to an engaging take on the traditional New Zealand veranda, and the design plays with new technologies in glass in creating a subtle counterpart to the Aotea Centre.
NZIA Jury Citation 2011
Client:
Auckland Council
Location:
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Completion:
2010
Size:
1,800m2
Project Value:
$60m
Contact:
Malcolm Bowes
NZIA Auckland Architecture Award – Public Architecture 2011
PCNZ Property Industry Merit Award – Special Purpose Property 2011