Upmarket apartment and commercial tower close to Wellington city centre

Perched in the front row overlooking one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world, One Market Lane is a vibrant development just a short stroll from Wellington's city centre.

One Market Lane has a distinctive presence and seamlessly integrates into the Wellington cityscape, including being respectful of its neighbours. Its sculptural design gives it the appearance of sitting on a broad plinth marrying it to its site and to the adjacent heritage building, Xero House.

Developer Willis Bond & Co has several major boutique residential developments either completed or under construction including the award-winning Chews Lane Precinct and Clyde Quay Wharf projects in Wellington and 132 Halsey and Wynyard Central developments in Auckland. And One Market Lane is part of this prestige line-up.

The distinctive One Market Lane features 42 high-specification apartments on its six upper floors, the majority benefitting from expansive water or city views. Secure parking, residential amenities and prime commercial spaces are on the lower levels.

The ground floor includes office and residential lobbies, residential amenities and commercial and cafe spaces. Its glazed facade creates an active edge along all three sides visible to the public.

Commercial space and parking take the three mid-level floors, allowing the apartments to sit high above the city in the city- and harbour-facing wings'.

These each have an individual character, yet are complementary to each other. The harbour wing sits gracefully on the podium with a clean, sleek horizontal emphasis and cantilevered floors. The city wing has more solidity and a street fae§ade that curves along the length of Market Lane and Jervois Quay, helping integration with the streetscape.

Developer challenges for Willis Bond included successfully integrating One Market Lane with Xero House, formerly The John Chambers Building. This played a formative role in shaping the building's individual character. The triangular nature of the site is expressed in the bull-nose form of Xero House. And stepping the mass of the new building up towards the eastern end is respectful of this landmark, giving it breathing space before revealing One Market Lane's presence further along Cable Street.

The potential wind effect caused by the new tower for pedestrians on exposed corners was also a consideration. In response, the podium and street-level canopies are shaped to mitigate wind effects and provide additional shelter.

Given its key, inner-city location, traffic was another factor addressed early in the design stages. Utilising the newly formed one-way Market Lane for vehicular access effectively streamlined traffic flow.

Another priority was to ensure One Market Lane activates the immediate ground-level vicinity. Besides addressing entry and exit points, and introducing the southeast corner cafe space, Willis Bond brought further activity to the Cable/Taranaki Street corner with placement of the residents' gym in this area.

On the upper floors, internal planning responds to each apartment's orientation to views and sunlight. Interiors are well-proportioned with high ceilings and expansive windows.

Of the 42 apartments in One Market Lane, there are few repeated designs and, on each floor, no two apartments are the same. The variety of types was maximised, and many were individually tailored.

Story by: Charles Moxham