Off the plan

Rome wasn't built in a day. The same, it seems, will be true of the building slated for the last remaining waterfront site in the Britomart precinct of Auckland's CBD. Following an extensive consultation process, Cooper and Company the firm appointed by Auckland City Council to undertake the Britomart redevelopment has scrapped plans for the proposed 105m-high hotel in favour of a 60m, possibly mixed-use development.

"We have considered the comments on our earlier proposal, and have gone back to the drawing board in regards to establishing strict design criteria governing the use of the site before finalising detailed design work. Certainly we will not be attempting to create a five-star hotel in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, as originally intended," says Cooper and Company chief executive Matthew Cockram.

The firm has employed architects Fearon Hay in Auckland and Johnson Pilton Walker in Sydney to provide illustrative concepts to demonstrate how a new building might be designed to fit within the proposed parameters.

"The amended building envelope would enable a building with a stepped appearance in harmony with the building heights and shapes along Quay Street," says Cockram. "It may well house a mixture of hospitality, retail and residential facilities regardless, our approach will be to incorporate features that help energise the precinct."

Story by: Trendsideas