"Vodafone approached Studio D4 to facilitate a project for them, with a strong preference to be in the Innovation Precinct," says Fontein. "When Vodafone signed the lease for its InnoV8 building, it was the key enabling factor to get the Innovation Precinct up and running."
A joint venture between Studio D4, as design and development manager, and Calder Stewart Development, as construction and financial manager, then developed the building.
Designed by Jasmax, the resulting five-level, 10,000m² building is the most technologically advanced building in New Zealand, and includes xone, a Vodafone-backed startup accelerator and lab for globally focussed, local technology entrepreneurs.
The brief required the design team to create a positive, healthy interior that not only brought people together but also nurtured their wellbeing.
Jasmax principal Shirley Chin says that a major requirement for the building was to support different activities and flexibility.
"Spaces were optimised to enable effective and flexible working, while still being versatile and open-plan enough to allow for large gatherings of internal and external communities," she says.
"These multi-purpose areas were then supplemented by quiet spaces and meeting rooms complete with video conferencing capabilities."
Vodafone's way of working supports a completely unassigned desking strategy throughout the building, including in its call centre. Employees work in neighbourhoods containing many different work spaces such as focus/quiet areas, collaboration tables, project areas and a library.
The atrium has been designed to form an internal laneway, referencing the history of the site. The neighbouring plaza, also designed by Jasmax, provides public space for the occupants of the precinct to gather.
The Studio D4 and Calder Stewart partnership in this section of the Innovation Precinct continued with the development of the site adjacent to Vodafone, for Kathmandu.