Ministry of Social Development
By Studio Pacific Architecture
The new head office of the Ministry of Social Development is one of the largest workplace fitouts that Wellington has seen in several years.
The design is informed by 12 Key Design Principles that include the following:
- the whole building is your workspace
- a flexible open plan environment for everyone
- amenities are provided on the basis of need
- spaces are provided for a range of work types from quiet/focussed to informal discussions and collaborative work
- a consistent floor layout
- a warm and welcoming environment
The layout preserves key orienting views and an appreciation of the base-building length whilst also using unbookable enclosed spaces to define ‘neighbourhoods’ of open plan workspace. Soft fitout selections, feature lighting, and acoustic treatments support the variety of work settings. There is an interconnecting stair linking collaborative hub areas on all floors. Despite several organisational changes (during and since construction) no layout changes have been required, and unassigned desking has now been adopted on several floors.
The look and feel is based on a design ‘story’ inspired by the creation myth of Tane separating earth (Papatuanuku) and sky (Ranginui) and thus letting light into the world – this metaphor aligned very well with MSD’s purpose of helping New Zealanders to become safe, strong and independent. The legacy of this legend is the mighty ‘Lord of the Forest’ Tane Mahuta standing in Waipoua Forest. The design therefore takes its inspiration from the colours, patterns, and textures of the kauri tree. This is expressed in a number of ways including the ‘roots’ at the ceiling of the reception/welcoming area, patterns on fabric and film, ‘bark’ on the interconnecting stair, colours based on bark and leaf colours, and the tree ‘canopy’ at the top of the interconnecting stair.
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Ministry of Social Development
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Shaping Our Pacific Future – We are a cross-disciplinary architecture, interior, landscape and urban design practice shaping a more sustainable and people-centric built environment across the buildings, neighbourhoods, cities, and landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Studio Pacific was established in 1992 by friends and colleagues Evžen Novák, Nick Barratt-Boyes, and Stephen McDougall. After working in the UK and Europe, the three architects were drawn back home by a shared desire to form a collaborative and innovative practice in Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington.
They opened an architecture studio ‘of the Pacific’, applying their creativity to projects that engaged with, and elevated, context and culture. Over the years, this has grown into a compelling manifesto to shape our collective Pacific future, where people and the planet are at the heart of our built environment.
Today, we are a team of around 100 – including architects, urban designers, landscape architects, interior designers and business professionals. We bring diversity in thinking and design, and a democratic culture ensures clever ideas come from all corners of the practice, not necessarily from those who have been here the longest.
Open-minded, collaborative and creative, our practice has evolved into a leading and award-winning business, working on a wide range of exciting projects that seek to make Aotearoa New Zealand a better place.
- Year founded1992
- ArchiPro Member since2015
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