The Morton Street Depot Building

The Morton Street Depot Building is part of the masterplan for the Victoria Quarter Depot Site.

On a programmatic level, the project addresses the problem of de-industrialization, which Auckland has been subjected to like many other cities around the world. The brief recognizes the value of small to medium scale commercial activities to the urban economy and seeks to maintain them within the city proper, adding to the anticipated neighbourhood diversity within the Victoria Quarter.

The building idea lies in the juxtaposition and synergies between a car parking building and flexible, multi-use spaces located around its perimeter. Wrapping the units around the carpark floors creates facades with activity behind them - an inhabited wall. Morton Street notionally continues inside the building, winding its way up over eight levels. This concept will give the perimeter units double frontages: they each have windows to the outside world and a shopping window, entrance door and a garage door to the internal street.

The palette of materials is consistent with the concept of a warehouse - light industrial, durable, simple and honest.

Project Sheet

• Project sheet