This project is a sculptural response to warehouse and office design

Designed by: JWA

From the architects:

This project was commissioned by Auckland Airport as a speculative project, comprising of offices at each end of a 10,000m² rectangular warehouse with a moveable party wall dividing the warehouse into two leasable areas. 

During construction Endeavour Consumer Health was secured as a tenant, necessitating that an extensive fitout be integrated into the build, a challenge to deliver into an already compressed programme.

The challenge

One of the key drivers for the project was its prominent location at the intersection of Landing Drive, the main avenue of The Landing business park and Te Kapua Drive. Existing raised landscape features to all four corners and a new retail development diagonally opposite the project site reflect this is as a significant urban node.

The design challenge was to recognise this in built form, to create an architectural statement that isn’t overwhelmed by the warehouse behind, and to relate to the ever present patterns and forms of the award winning The Landing landscape.

The design response

The response was to create a sculptural screen formed by arrays of steel fins, standing out against the building as a spark of yellow. The colour and movement of the screen are inspired by the surrounding tussock grasses, and gestures deliberately towards the intersection. The effect is dynamic and vibrant, as befits a commercial building, and changes shape and density as you move around it.

The southern office is single storey and directly faces the future runway. The same fins articulate this façade, responding to the landscape. They act to screen the interior and the outdoor terrace, and to frame the entry.

The building plans are designed with efficiency, flexibility, access to daylight and maintain views out. The warehouse with a moveable Inter-tenancy wall provides a long term flexible leasable space.

The building is a dynamic addition to The Landing, creating a strong urban marker on an important site.

Sustainability and Environmental Considerations

The offices are located at the north and south ends of the site to create a flexible leasable space. Double glazing and laminated glass have been used to provide both good thermal and acoustic performance.

High insulation levels have been specified to all external envelope construction, including 850mm high spandrel walls to reduce solar gain and heat loss via the windows by 33%. Daylight levels to the interior of the offices have been achieved by using glass with good Visible Light Transmission, and by having windows between the office and warehouse to provide daylight to all sides of the office.

The warehouse and canopy have two rows of translucent roofing strips between structural portal bays, that in combination with daylight sensing, reduce electricity consumption. LED lights are used throughout.

The vertical fins act to reduce sunstrike and solar gain to the northern office, particularly from north eastern and north western angles. The gutters and down pipes are sized for future potential rainfall climate change projections.

Steel and concrete, the predominant building materials, have high embodied energy, however there are no alternatives that are materially and financially viable. On the positive side both are recyclable, and their potential life-cycle is excellent. 

The volume of concrete is reduced by the use of post tensioned slabs, which are thinner than standard slabs. The tonnage of steel is reduced by the use of welded steel portals, designed and shaped to respond to structural stresses, thereby reducing the steel sizes compared to off the shelf sections.

Designed by: JWA

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Simon Devitt