Spark Place

By Architectus

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A group of four buildings joined by a central light filled atrium creates a dynamic and collaborative working environment for the new Auckland headquarters of Spark NZ.

Bound by streets on three sides and a steep drop off to the north (the original Auckland foreshore) the project looks to introduce scale and modulation sympathetic to the surrounding context. It was originally envisaged as four separate multi-tenanted buildings dissected by a series of through site laneways and a central square. With the signing of Spark (formerly Telecom) as single tenant the design was modified to accommodate the tenant’s desire for a vibrant people-oriented workspace for up to 1500 staff and large interconnected floor plates maximising long term flexibility.

By linking the buildings via a glass atrium, the edges of which have been set back from the street frontages, the design retains the original urban concept and provides the active, large scale environment sought by the tenant. Public access through the site is retained, something Spark has encouraged, to allow it to engage with the community and its clientele.

A new plaza to the east provides the main point of arrival and an important addition to the public realm. High levels of transparency as well as third party retail in both the atrium and along key street frontages activate internal and external frontages. A continuous canopy provides shelter along the edges and introduces a pedestrian scale.

The project has been certified 5 Star (Design) under the NZGBC Green Star rating system.

Location:
Auckland

Completion:
2010

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Spark Place

Architectus
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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.