Wellington Project

Project details

Since the nineteen century, the Te Aro area served as an important centre of commerce next to a sheltered natural harbour. For the local tribes, the Te Aro stream and the fertile land provided sources of food, places to bathe and means of transport for the trade of flax. European settlement eventually moved from the flood-prone Hutt valley to Te Aro flat, slowly replacing cultivated land with residential plots as the city continued to grow to become what we now know as New Zealand’s capital. The site also marks a number of geographical edges: of land and sea, of natural ground and man-made, and particularly of the jagged Wellington fault which passes nearby. Early Maori legend tells of the formation of the Wellington harbour by an earthquake along this fault. Our design response seeks to place a marker on the land: both a marker of the history and significance of the site, and as a symbol of pride of place, inclusive of all people and races and a symbol of our local culture. In physical terms the building rises from a street-level podium to form a slender tower, angled in its plan form to gain views of the city and to minimise its profile from Mount Victoria. The expressed diagrid structure wraps around and over the building, forming a unique rooftop space which will enjoy breathtaking views and form a beacon in the Wellington skyline. Entry to the office component of the building is via a lane way which links the site to the mesh of pedestrian links and lane ways Wellington enjoys. A podium-level rooftop bar at will provide an opportunity to take in the city lights, while sky gardens on levels above provide amenity. Our intent is to provide a building that both enriches and informs the city as a marker of place and a point of gathering and community spirit - not to claim possession or ownership of the land, but to mark it as a place of inclusion, support and pride for all people: ‘we are here’.