32 Drake Street

By Architectus

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The four storey mixed use building has been designed to have a continuous perimeter wall and appears to occupy the whole site. Into this wrapped volume two courtyards have been inserted, which structure the building. The proportions of the resulting building footprint respond to the adjacent urban grain.

The western courtyard is full height (level 1-4) and is accessible directly off Drake Street. This courtyard accommodates pedestrian and vehicle access (via car lift to the basement) and features a courtyard garden. The eastern courtyard is arranged over levels 3 and 4 only and provides additional natural light for the apartments on the top two floors. The building has two different envelopes which underline its spatial configuration; the Drake Street façade and perimeter walls along the site boundaries (the outer wrap); and the facades in the courtyards (the inner linings).

The first “public” envelope is constructed of pre-cast concrete with an off-the-shutter timber board finish. The orientation of the finish shifts between levels and uses. The more “private” courtyard elevations show a timber cladding which resembles the shuttering pattern to the exterior. The commercial levels 1 and 2 comprise flexible, well lit space. Both levels are served by the lift/staircase at the rear of the site. The residential levels 3 and 4 have been arranged as one apartment per floor, affording a recessed terrace facing Drake Street with views over Victoria Market to Victoria Park.

Location:
Auckland

Completion:
2008

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32 Drake Street
32 Drake Street
32 Drake Street
32 Drake Street
32 Drake Street

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32 Drake Street

Architectus
Architectus
Architects
- 2020

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Architectus is an architecture and urbanism practice designing places and spaces tuned to their communities, context and culture. Advocates for integrated design, we apply a rigorous and tailored approach to create environments that are inspiring and enduring.

For over 30 years, we have been realising innovative and bespoke projects around Aotearoa New Zealand, shaping precincts and campuses with people and sustainability at their heart. Through a collaborative and integrated approach, we have had many successful joint ventures with local and international partners, and we enjoy a strong relationship with our associated studios in Australia.

Our Purpose
We believe architecture begins with a social agenda. It must nurture and grow communities and individuals, and enhance its neighbourhood and city. Appropriate, efficient and elegant architecture for today becomes the urban fabric of the future – we design for this longevity, to create places that will serve generations to come.

Design Philosophy
While a good project must firstly solve practical needs and be viable, a truly great project must embody a community’s broader cultural context: its urban and architectural setting, its local geography and ecology, and the stories of its people. The more meaningful a place becomes through a true sense of belonging, the greater the value and longevity it has for its community.

We believe placemaking in Aotearoa is grounded in a bicultural creative process. We partner with mana whenua to embed their aspirations and cultural narratives across functional, ceremonial, spatial and artistic dimensions.

Underpinning these human stories is our responsibility to be judicious with natural resources. Environmentally sensitive architecture requires us to be energy-efficient and space-efficient, and to use low-carbon materials and ethically sourced products.

This is a holistic approach that embeds our practice in a continuum of artistic and technical progress, so the architecture we are responsible for will be relevant for decades to come.