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 Telecom 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 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 Telecom 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 NZ Greenstar rating system.

Project Sheet

• Project Sheet