gathered together

THE ORIGINAL design brief provided to architectural firm Ignite Architects was to design a large-format retail centre with a 13,000m² The Warehouse box as its anchor. However, over two years this brief changed and grew, taking into account growing trends in hybrid outdoor retail centres that included entertainment and food offerings.

"One challenge for this job was in developing an extensive site that only has one entrance," says project architect Nicola Palmer. "It was considered vital that The Warehouse, as the main anchor of The Base, could be instantly recognised from the main adjacent thoroughfare, Te Rapa Road. At the same time, we had to ensure that entry to the site itself and then to The Warehouse building would be clear at a glance and easy to negotiate."

To facilitate this, The Warehouse's entry is flanked by high, blade-like columns. These distinctive red fins reinforce its location within the sprawling site and give the building its required identity from the main road. Pylon signs at the corner of Avalon Drive and Te Rapa Rd and inside at The Base Parade entry point indicate the main individual tenants within the site.

"To make life easy for shoppers, parking areas are formed along a central street that curves from one end of The Base to the other," the architect explains. "This street branches off into smaller avenues that offer access to distinct precincts within the site. Car parks are allotted to separate areas for each precinct and connected by generous pedestrian walkways."

Green spaces are an important part of the overall concept, built into the design to weave a sense of nature, community and relaxation through the myriad shopping opportunities. Verdant areas range in scale from a parkland, complete with boardwalks and ponds, to smaller, more intimate landscaped areas dotted through the car parks.

"Variety is a key element running throughout. The distinct individual building facades allow strong brand definition for icon retail stores and add to the site's overall visual interest," says Palmer.

A muted palette of cream, greys and dark browns was used on most buildings, with the large-format tenant brand colours providing accent tones.

Despite its size, Ignite wanted The Warehouse to fit well in terms of scale with its neighbours. The building is designed with a cluster of smaller-format retailers around its entry. These, together with a west-facing garden centre, break up its otherwise large expanses of wall.

"The intention is to create a backdrop to the theatre of shopping by creating a place where people can mingle," says Palmer. "Creating an environment that works on a human scale encourages that interaction."

In keeping with this overall concept, a food precinct will contribute to the attraction of the shopping venue. This addition involved Ignite rethinking an original 3000m² large-format tenancy into the new free-standing restaurant precinct, with eight individual tenants.

The Base also has a plethora of outdoor seating areas and a multi-functional conservatory space to cater for community events.

For more details, contact Ignite Architects, PO Box 37-853, Parnell, Auckland 1001, phone (09) 356 4791. Website: www.ignitearchitects.com.

Story by: Trendsideas