At the centre of the civic square, a new Japanese Garden features stones and plants based on those in the original garden gifted to Waitakere City by its sister city, Kakogawa. With an entrance square, water features and pavilion, it combines New Zealand natives with exotics and Japanese plants, including cherry trees.
"The Japanese garden is a transitional zone," says Craig. "It changes from a formal space at the street to an informal, organic space adjacent to the railway."
For the design of Central One, Ignite incorporated a number of passive design features. Roof overhangs and louvres provide solar shading, and a light colour palette reflects sunlight, helping to reduce the reliance on air conditioning. Rainwater is also harvested for toilet use and stormwater runoff is controlled. Use of sustainable and recycled materials was also a priority, and, in many cases, interior finishes feature exposed raw materials.
"The building itself is relatively simple it has a concrete frame with typical streetscape scale, and infills to break it down and add texture. Internally, care was taken to maximise space. Ceilings were omitted so it feels generous inside, and there is a maximum distance of 6-7m to the nearest windows to optimise working conditions."
To avoid sick building syndrome', which is caused by extensive use of volatile synthetic materials in a relatively airtight space, low-vapour, natural materials were selected.