Te Kupenga

Client:
Mansons TCLM

Location:
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Completion:
2020

Size:
19,000m²

Contact:
Severin Soder

Te Kupenga is a contemporary workplace development offering flexible 2000m² floorplates, able to be connected or subdivided according to tenant requirements. The project defines the corner of Fanshawe and Daldy Street – the Gateway to Wynyard Quarter. Daldy Street – a linear park – runs along the western side of the building and connects with the harbour to the north.

The concept for this workplace development is a relaxed stack of floorplates around a connecting atrium with a view. The main entrance, cafe and retail tenancies face the park and allow people to spill out. This uplifting environment finds its vertical continuation inside in the form of an atrium. The atrium, most often located in the middle of a building and invisible from the outside, is revealed by placing it on the building’s southern façade. Generously sized crossing bridges provide for various workplace activities and activate the atrium. The skylight allows daylight to penetrate deep into the building. The glare-free southern light creates excellent light quality for the bridge workspaces and accentuates the airy atmosphere in the atrium.

Designed as the ‘heart of the workplace’, the atrium is differentiated from the rest of the workspaces through a change in materiality. The edges, bridges and soffits are lined in timber (fire-rated MDF panels veneered with Victorian Ash and perforated for acoustic absorption), which contrast with the white wall linings and structural elements and create a warm golden tone. Glass balustrades supported by slender stainless steel balusters allow for largely unobstructed views across the atrium. Stairs are enclosed with white lacquered MDF panels which provide a reassuring enclosure for the users circulating between floors.

Due to the atrium’s south facing aspect, blinds or sun shading is not required and the façade glass can be extra clear low-iron glazing. Physical (stairs) and visual links connect occupants with each other and the surroundings. The workspaces on the bridges are serviced via an integrated displacement ventilation system. Fresh air is supplied via circular grilles in the floors, and rising spill and stale air extracted beneath the skylight. Bridges are prefabricated steel structures with horizontal trusses for lateral stability, which can accommodate additional inter-tenancy stairs. Continuous three-sided smoke curtains are integrated into the atrium perimeter. In the event of a fire alarm, the curtains drop down with a delay, allowing occupants on the bridges to evacuate.

Clarification of scope: Architectus designed the base building (shell & core), entry lobby interior, stairs with seating steps up to level 1, and the atrium, including the bridges and atrium perimeter. The floor finishes and bridge furniture are part of the tenant fitouts.

MoreLess