Administrator House

Administrator House is located on O'Connell Street in central Auckland. Part of a busy commercial street, this two – storied building forms as important part of the historical urban fabric.

Built in 1925 for Alliance Assurance, Administrator House has a heritage listing, and the brief was to modernise this building for a new gallery and commercial office. The project involved renovating the entrance, gallery and bathroom on the ground floor, and the offices, kitchenette and bathrooms on the second floor.

Administrator House is scheduled as a heritage item in the Auckland District Unitary Plan. The structure of the building itself is predominately concrete and the heritage listing extended to the interior walls of the building. These two constraints made allowance for services very difficult. Throughout the building skirtings and dado rails were routed out to conceal lighting and wiring. Cabling was also hidden in the structure of the false floor to the offices and gallery.

When we began working on this project it was in the midst of a seismic upgrade and was in a state of disrepair but now, fully renovated, it is a jewel in the streetscape, and is often hired for functions and private events to great success.