Albany Stadium Pool

Auckland Council required a community pool with "a point of difference," that would complement existing pools in the Albany area that provided for sports and training. The result is a pool with a focus on leisure, learning to swim, and physical fitness. Leisure activities for all ages are provided for in a range of water bodies and water depths. There is a large pool dedicated to teaching swimming classes, and a large fitness suite on a mezzanine floor overlooking the pool halls

Rather than gender specific change rooms, a European-style "change village" was provided. This resulted in reduced floor area, and more efficient operations and management for pool staff.

A well-recognised focal point on the Albany landscape, the building utilises a polycarbonate cladding system which, at night becomes a beacon in the landscape. The pool is hugely popular and has exceeded all Auckland Council's visitor forecasts.

Archives New Zealand

The 5,000m² Archives New Zealand Repository replaced existing temporary accommodation with a state of the art facility with a 50 year design life. The design has been benchmarked against international best practice intended to protect archived material for future generations.

The architecture recognises the civic importance of this building type and deliberately avoids the 'warehouse' morphology evident in surrounding complexes. Careful consideration has been given to the strict environmental control requirements of the brief, durability and life cycle costs.

Auckland Council Customer Service Centre and Bledisloe Lane redevelopment

Auckland Council needed a vibrant new space within the refurbished Bledisloe House in central Auckland, where they could serve Auckland's community and ratepayers.

Our team designed a welcoming, engaging customer service centre, and shopfront glazing and a canopy to connect the center with the redeveloped Bledisloe Lane outside.

Once dark and uninviting, Bledisloe Lane is now lighter, brighter, and safer, with a new glass canopy that creates a modern, seamless connection with the surrounding buildings. Clear sightlines draw the eye through to the customer service centre and the popular Aotea Quarter beyond, creating an inviting environment for people to engage with social, cultural, and business activities.

The customer service centre itself focuses on the differing needs of Auckland Council's customers, inviting people to select an interaction that suits them best. Graphics, colour, and technology create simple but inviting transition and record gathering zones. Customers can speak to Auckland Council staff directly, or manage enquiries, payments, and more at user-friendly self-service kiosks.

High-performing, and requiring limited capital and operational costs, the redevelopment enables Auckland Council to deliver excellent service, while connecting with a thriving hub in the heart of the city.

Auckland Golf Club

The refurbishment of the Auckland Golf Club built on the existing traditions of the club, and the decision for a sympathetic upgrade, rather than a new building, recognised the iconic architectural character of the clubhouse.

The refurbishment entailed major intervention with regard to the existing building both inside and out, including major upgrades to the structure and fire protection to meet functional and modern code requirements.

Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo is a local landmark, and significant recreation amenity for Auckland residents and tourists alike. Situated in Western Springs, the existing entrance for the facility had become outdated and unable to accommodate the large growth in visitor numbers. Creative Spaces was appointed to design a new face to represent the values of Auckland Zoo in the new millennium.

Creative Spaces worked with the Zoo’s master-planners to prepare a concept plan for the entry complex which overcame the shortcomings of the previous facilities. The concept was predicated on creating a sheltered north facing plaza, large enough to accommodate peak hourly arrivals on a peak attendance day, and represents an innovative departure from conventional planning solutions.

Extensive research into similar visitor and tourism facilities was undertaken to prove the viability of concepts developed for ticketing, ticket validation, visitor circulation, space requirements and the maximization of revenue generation. The new building provides a vastly improved visitor reception, orientation and information facilities consistent with the Zoo’s education and conservation objectives. A new education centre was included in the development.

Copthorne Hotel

The refurbishment of the Copthorne Hotel at Waitangi responded to an increased demand for rooms and a desire to update the aging 1970s architecture. The design solution involved adding an additional floor of rooms and creating an architecture which responds to the sense of place in a physical an historical context. The architectural imagery derives from the colonial architecture of the area, enhanced with a significant landscape treatment aimed amplifying the "resort ambience" of the site.

Dilworth House

Dilworth House is a two storey, 5,250 square metre office building, designed inside and out by Creative Spaces. The 19 metre wide office space is designed around a central courtyard to provide maximum natural light to the optimum efficient width of office space. All facades of the building are composed of a glazing system, with some Hinuera Stone features portraying the solidity of the client, Dilworth Trust Board. Laminated tinted glass affords views across the leafy neighbourhood and Dilworth School fields for the tenants.

Liaison and negotiation with Council on floor area ratios resulted in an extremely efficient use of site area, exceeding originally prescribed limitations and making the development very profitable for the building owner. Structural grids and building widths were based on the most efficient modular office layout. The result is extremely efficient, with very little wasted space.

Dilworth Junior Campus Sports Centre

The new sports centre provides a multi-purpose sports hall, fitness suite, classroom/function space, and office space for Dilworth Junior Campus' sports staff. Indoor sports including basketball, volleyball, badminton, futsal, and table tennis are accommodated in a range of formats designed to maximise flexibility of use. The sports hall has retractable bleacher seating and can be divided with a vinyl curtain, to simultaneously host multiple sports or classes.

A thermally efficient building envelope, naturally lit sports hall, and roof mounted photo-voltaic panels all contribute to reduced energy use, with any surplus power transferred back to the main campus

This project provided the opportunity to re-think the campus architecture, and resulted in a contemporary monotone aesthetic, punctuated with splashes of colour representing Dilworth's four house colours.

The modern, flexible sports centre has become the signature campus building, where boys have everything they need to thrive. In the words of one student, "it really is a magic place."

Dilworth School Sports Complex

The new Sports Complex at Dilworth School satisfies the Dilworth philosophy of “sport for all” by combining in a single facility a complete range of indoor sports to regional level, including a climbing wall and weights room, with support functions for adjacent outdoor sports codes and existing swimming pool. Flexibility was a major component of the project, and careful design facilitates good natural supervision. Storage spaces are accessed directly off the sports floor and the change rooms serve both indoor and outdoor codes. The teaching spaces have been combined with adjoining multi-purpose areas, and placed between the indoor and outdoor sports with spectating facilities for both. The complex is designed to fit comfortably in the architectural tradition of Dilworth School, while at the same time extending that tradition into a modern sporting facility.

Hastings Police Station

As the Police partner more closely with the local communities they serve, stations need to be modern, transparent, and approachable. The new Hastings Police Station provides a welcoming and comfortable environment, which enables the Police to work more efficiently, and collaborate more with the Hastings community.

The station is on a prominent corner in central Hastings, adjacent to the Hastings District Courthouse, and a large picture frame window overlooks the city and the hills beyond. Most of the building is glazed at street level, opening up sightlines into the building.

The front door is easily identifiable below a large steel mesh screen. By day, this shades the atrium behind, and by night it is transparent, demystifying the workings of the station.

Staff on all three floors are connected through an atrium space, which disperses natural light through the building and provides a visual and acoustic link. The atrium also connects the public counter to the circulation spaces within the station, creates a visual dialogue between Police staff and the public.

The internal layout is predominantly open-plan, providing staff with a range of agile and activity-based workspaces to accommodate different tasks and working styles. A whānau room provides a flexible and comfortable environment for staff to spend time with their families between shifts.

Henderson Police Station

Henderson Police Station is challenging the perceptions of modern law enforcement, with two new refurbished spaces.

Incorporating flexible working styles and technology, Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke ("the Whāngaia," which means "to foster or nourish," in te re Māori) is a shared space for police, local iwi (tribes), and community organisations to reduce family harm.

Inclusive and collaborative, this space reflects the partnerships fostered within, that will protect and serve the local community. Timber screens, acoustic features, feature lighting, and a variety of furniture creates an agile, open-plan space, where staff have the freedom to choose a workstation that suits their needs.

Resene Colour Awards judges have described this project as "cleverly breaking down barriers with colour, bringing the police and the community together in a positive environment where all are welcome."

Allowing for future growth, the staff café has been transformed. Natural light streams in, and a refreshed outdoor terrace creates an informal space to celebrate and relax. This space has become the ‘heart' of the Henderson Police Station, where staff can meet and connect.

Kerikeri Police Station

GHDWoodhead creativespaces provided full design, documentation and delivery services for the new Kerikeri Police Station. Complying with all national standards and, following consultation with local stakeholders, we have incorporated local Maori Pou carvings in the design.

The design was developed through incorporating Kerikeri’s environmental and heritage influences as major considerations, including stonework, building height, local iwi wishes, planting, and pedestrian considerations. The design integrated local iwi elements through intricately carved Pou Pou, which relate to the history of the area, and the relationship local iwi have with the police and community. We worked together with local police staff to make sure specific police operational elements were incorporated in the design of the new building. This included the need to balance building security while creating a people-friendly front to the building. The planning, finishing and furniture incorporated requirements that are specified in the New Zealand Police National Standards Accommodation Code.

The new station has open plan office spaces with the district HQ upstairs, while the ground level houses the local station. This layout improves operational efficiency while providing maximum flexibility in space utilisation, and the ability to meet future staffing needs.

The building street frontage fuses generous glazing with local Northland bluestone cladding created by local craftsmen. The building stonework was carried out in a similar way to that of the stonework streetscape found through the main shopping centre of Kerikeri.

Light Armoured Vehicle Workshop

Linton Military Camp's Light Armoured Vehicle Workshop combines industrial pragmatism with imaginative design. While maintaining a militaristic appearance, this project gave us an opportunity to exceed the New Zealand Defence Force's expectations, and provide a secure, comfortable environment for maintenance staff, in a distinctive building they can be proud of.

Deliberately separated from the building envelope, the primary structure is left exposed, and windows are small. End and connection plates for cross bracing have been visually balanced, proportionate with the military aesthetic, and referencing the strength of the surroundings.

The workshop includes ventilated service pits, with custom hydraulic jacks and waste extraction trays for spent vehicle oil and brake fluids, and a custom gantry crane for lifting vehicles.

Mechanics enjoy under floor heating, and the building envelope is insulated, reducing the size of the associated heating and ventilation plant. Insulated skylights bring in natural light, which is supplemented by controlled, dimmable lighting.

Long Bay Primary School

Long Bay Primary's roll projection showed that by 2021, the school would need six additional teaching spaces to accommodate growing demand in the area.

Catering for a range of ages, from new entrants, to Year 6 students, meant the new classrooms would need to maximise the outdoor play area in front of the building, while ensuring they remained connected to the heart of the school.

We designed a new learning block, with a narrow footprint that maximises the adjacent outdoor area, while limiting the need to cut into the hillside at the back of the school. The elongated structure allows for effective ventilation and enables natural light to filter into classrooms, as well as providing children and teachers with the best views of the surrounding area.

The new learning block needed to fit in with the school's spatial and aesthetic environment, and complement the existing colors and materials. We developed a contemporary look and feel, by exposing the building's steel skeleton in front of the more traditional finishes which match the existing surroundings. A snaking pathway takes students, teachers, and visitors on a journey to the new area, connected the new block with the existing school buildings.

Mangere Arts Centre

Māngere Arts Centre is a multi-purpose community facility for the visual and performing arts, focusing on creativity and engagement with local rangatahi (young people). The centre aims to be a "well-spring" of creativity, a place where local people's lives are transformed through the power of art.

Planning is predicated on giving formal expression to the visual and performing arts, the two main threads of the centre, through a gallery and performance space. A dialogue is established across a north facing, multi-purpose courtyard, and the foyer and shared function facilities are used to link the two.

The performance space is a flexible ‘black box,' which can be configured in different formats. One side of the theatre can be opened up to the foyer, which in turn can be opened up to an external courtyard. This allows for informal performances, where spectators can move freely around the venue, and enables the foyer to be used as a stage, with the audience located in the courtyard. The ability to flow ‘in and out' of the space recognises the traditionally strong indoor/outdoor connection of traditional Pacific Island buildings.

The architecture references Aotearoa's (New Zealand) unique national identity of Māori, Pacific, and European cultures, and our place in the Pacific. Māngere Maunga (mountain), with its life-sustaining volcanic soils, is visible from the performance space foyer. Uenuku, the Māori god of creativity, whose physical manifestation is a rainbow, is referenced on the bright colours of the façade.

Manurewa Police Station

Creative Spaces, in association with GHD, have completed the refurbishment of Auckland's Manurewa Police Station. This challenging project involved adding 1200m² of new space to the existing 1050m² Police Station situated on a very tight town centre site.

The existing building was a complex collection of spaces and roof forms. In the refurbishment, the existing single level building was gutted internally and reorganised to house the bulk of staff on the ground floor around a central naturally lit atrium and circulation space.

The additional floor space is predominantly provided on the new first floor which accommodates the lunchroom, lockers, Youth Aid and Community staff. The innovative design solution of an additional storey simplifies the roofscape and construction methodology of the building while retaining excellent interconnection between staff and workspaces. The remodelling has created large open plan spaces providing better staff communication within the Police Station.

McDonalds

Creative Spaces was engaged to develop the design and document the refurbishment of the existing McDonalds Greenlane restaurant. This is McDonaldʼs flagship retail outlet in New Zealand and its refurbishment is intended to embody the latest international design trends that will be incorporated into their stores throughout the country as part of a nation-wide exercise. The project was undertaken on a fast-track, 16-week program, and was completed in late December 2007. The restaurant continued to operate 24 hours a day throughout the refurbishment, apart from a four week period when the kitchen was rebuilt. The completed refurbishment includes new commercial kitchen, dining areas, toilets and childrenʼs play area on the ground floor. The first floor was converted to a national staff training facility and boardroom, while the exterior received substantial redesign to bring the exterior up to date.

Mini Dealerships

As corporate architects for BMW New Zealand, Creative Spaces undertook design of a number of the MINI dealerships following the brand’s international re-launch. The brief was for a youthful and energetic image - a theme which Creative Spaces embraced with extensive use of bright colours, funky furnishings and innovative vehicle displays. Corporate identity was a key element of the brief, and the MINI brand and associated imagery features prominently throughout the showrooms.

Mt Smart Stadium East Stand

Home to the New Zealand Warriors, and having hosted some of the world's best bands and artists, Mt Smart Stadium needed to be upgraded, to accommodate growing crowds.

The new East Stand replaces a temporary structure, and seats 8,000 spectators, with 6,000 under shelter. This project encompassed four factors; simplicity, flexibility, functionality, and cost, which we achieved through innovative designs that make the most of the available space.

The East Stand presented an opportunity to move spectators closer to the field, and improve sight lines, creating a more exciting spectator experience. By stitching the concrete bleachers to the ranking beams, we reduced large amounts of cross bracing, which significantly reduced our client's costs.

As part of the redeveloped East Stand, a large networking lounge provides stand spectators with food and beverage during events. Eight private suites provide multi-purpose spaces for conferences and meetings during low season. The space under the stand is utilised to create additional areas for the stadium's tenants, including offices, a gym for team training, and additional function spaces.

Creative Spaces’ design of the East Stand redevelopment at Mt Smart Stadium was in keeping with the existing West Stand, and accommodates 8,000 spectators. A large lounge and eight private suites double as conference and meeting facilities, and change rooms and a gymnasium are provided for the key tenant, the Vodafone Warriors. Office space was also provided for The Warriors, and this overlooks the team gymnasium.

The key benefits of the design were simplicity, flexibility, functionality and cost effectiveness. An innovative method of stitching the concrete bleachers to the structural raking beams eliminated the need for a large amount of cross bracing, and the space under the stand has been used for column free office, gym and function spaces, with the flexibility to change should the future requirements evolve.

Nook

Neither the most fantastical works of science fiction, nor the most prosaic speculations towards the future could have predicted how the internet would shape society, culture, and technology as it does today.

The futurists who preceded the internet's conception could be forgiven for thinking it would bring about a second age of enlightenment. Never in human history has information been so available and accessible, yet it's suggested we are no more informed now than we were in 1989, before the dawn of the worldwide web.

Devoid of context, how can we understand the relevance of information? Without a connection to experience, what do we make of this deluge of information?

By connecting information with experience, Nook.01 changes how people absorb information. Operating under the imperative that the library is free to all, Nook.01 empowers users to create their own learning experiences and memories, enhancing the information they receive through virtual and augmented reality. Nook.01 is adaptable to the needs of the user, and can be manipulated to suit individual or group use.

With the potential to democratise and revolutionise libraries, schools, tertiary institutions, public transport, and other spaces of public learning, Nook.01 encourages people to create their own immersive, interactive learning spaces. Users can create their slice of the sublime amongst the strictly prosaic, and navigate safely through the data deluge.  

For more information, visit https://www.ghdwoodhead.com/nook-01.html

North Harbour Stadium

Seating 25,000 people, North Harbour Stadium is purpose-built for New Zealand's favourite sporting and entertainment events. As principal consultants, we were responsible for the stadium's masterplanning, project direction, design, documentation, and fitout.

Sitting centrally within the 24 hectare North Shore Domain, the stadium accommodates winter sports, while an international-standard oval attached to the stadium hosts cricket and Australian football league matches. A number of other sports fields are dedicated to community use.

Stadium planning followed the principles of providing good sightlines and wayfinding, safe egress, and easy access to food, beverages, and toilets. Located above terrace level, a concourse provides unobstructed views and circulation around the playing field. The 38 metre-high roof spans 180 metres, providing shelter to 10,000 tiered seats, essential to a comfortable spectator experience in New Zealand's changeable weather. 

The stadium includes conference and convention facilities, which offer a relaxed environment with the capacity to serve full banquet dining. As well as two large flexible networking lounges, 28 corporate lounges are provided. Offices for a number of sports codes are also provided.

Otahuhu Police Station

Otahuhu Police Station’s new 2,330m2 building was redeveloped to accommodate its 167 staff. We provided project management, architectural design (specifically concept and detailed design) and Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP), electrical, structural and fire engineering services.

Design considerations included incorporating Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) options include the inclusion of a short-term holding cell, four hard interview rooms and future expansion of the station. Future additions to the building would be more design efficient if they were built as adjacent wings, rather than new storeys.

A three storey building was constructed, providing more effective daylight access, better ventilation and was more cost-effective than a large single storey office. Half of the building spanned over the police car park entrance covering the first and second storey.

The design created a compound behind the building, providing a secure carpark area for police teams.  Closed circuit TV around the site along with bars on the fencing and electric gates met the security levels required at access point.

Concrete slabs, with few window openings, were used externally at ground floor level for security reasons and for their damage resistant nature. Curtain walls on the street frontage and a glass semi-circle reception entrance, with planters, lightened the building’s façade at the public access point.

The Accommodation Code prescribed the furniture and colour scheme of the area, though walls were highlighted in Resene Jalapeno to add vibrancy and warmth.  A social club counter top from the old Ōtāhuhu station building was used for a café leaner to reference the team and station’s history.

The completion of the Ōtāhuhu Police Station provided a modern, purpose-built building with facilities specifically designed for the separate teams it housed that met their specific and combined needs. 

It also created a more approachable and user-friendly building for the public. This facilitated their use of the building and contributed to building relationships between the Police as an organisation and the local community.

Pilot Training Facility Ohakea Airbase

The Simulated Training Centre is part of the new Pilot Training Facility at Base Ohakea, accomodating the new Beechcraft Training Aircraft.

The overall project included refurbishing and fitting out the No. 1 Hangar, the adjacent Flightline Aircraft Shelter and associated hard standing, as well as refurbishing the Flight Operations Building.

The complete Pilot Training Facility Project provides a vital training environment for the pilots and includes classroom spaces, associated office spaces and two simulator towers that feature in the exterior form.

The building’s functions are all situated off a centrally-located spine that is intersected by the entry corridor that leads to the No. 1 Hangar through an internal link way. This building stands out on base and highlights the new training facility that is clad in western red cedar and zinc.

Rotorua Arts Village

Rotorua Arts, Music and Cultural Centre is the second historic community centre in Rotorua designed and project managed by Creative Spaces. It is intended to satisfy a need for community arts groups to have a space where they can meet and work, and an 'arts village' image is evoked through the use of a variety of domestic scale roof forms derived from the picturesque arts and crafts character of an existing historic house on site.

Sanford

Started as a family business in Auckland in 1881, Sanford has grown into a company of nearly 1,600 people. With more than 130 years of sustained growth, Sanford has a sense of pride about its history and is also excited about its future.

GHDWoodhead creativespaces were engaged to deliver the turnkey design and build interior fitout of Sanford’s head-office in Auckland. The office consists of 2 floors located above the Sanford Fish Market and Seafood School within Auckland’s vibrant Wynyard Quarter.

This historic building required seismic re-strengthening to bring it up to standard of building code, and it was during this work that the beauty of the extraordinary brickwork and unique building structure was discovered.

The previous use of the building to smoke fish is still discernible in the uniquely aged colour of the exposed brickwork.

As designers, we chose to celebrate the history; designing a fitout that highlights and complements it, yet embraces the future. The key objective of the fitout was an innovative design that was fresh yet familiar, with a sense of quality and transparency.

The colours, textures and finishes make reference to the maritime theme based around the fish market and seafood industry.

From the utility “boatshed” to the fish scale kitchen splashback, small human touches such as the life ring, and rope screens reinforce the theme.

The slick, black understated reception counter, with vibrant graphic backdrop resolutely brings Sanford into the modern-day commercial workplace. The result is a paradoxically timeless yet historic fitout that is a joy for staff and visitors alike.

Sorted Logistics

Sorted Logistics' warehousing, transportation, and supply chain business was thriving, and they needed new, purpose-built facilities, to allow their services to expand.

Our team designed three large warehouses, with accompanying offices, meeting and training rooms, front-of-house areas, and staff facilities, on a greenfield site in Waterloo Business Park, Christchurch.

600m in length, with a combined footprint of over 24,000m2, warehouses are positioned in a linear arrangement along the site, along with associated yard areas and roading. The warehouses's efficient design includes steel portal frames, lightweight cladding, roofing and pre-cast concrete panels, ensuring Sorted Logistic's budget was maintained. With many vehicles moving in and out of the site, safety was a top priority. A one-way traffic system circles the buildings, reducing safety risks and distractions for staff.

One of the front-of-house facilities includes a large training room for staff professional development, a breakout space for quiet work and relaxation, and a commercial kitchen providing meals and space for staff to socialise. Another includes a boardroom for client meetings, and a staffroom.

Each building includes a striking front entrance, which utilises Sorted Logistics' colours, including a bold orange. This frontage communicates Sorted Logistics' brand to clients and visitors as soon as they reach the facility, and creates pride of place for staff and owners.

In collaboration with the contractor, our team delivered within a tight, staged construction programme, enabling Sorted Logistics to occupy some areas, while others were under construction.

Tai Tapu School

Tai Tapu School needed an expansion to accommodate its growing number of students in a modern learning environment. The Ministry of Education engaged us to provide designs for a new classroom block that would highlight the school's proud local identity, and reflect its cultural, heritage, and environmental values.

We provided services for all aspects of this project, including the architectural and interior design, and building project management. Our architectural plans worked to the Ministry of Education's ‘Power of Three' design principles; we designed three large classroom areas that could hold classes of up to 27, and could then be divided into smaller spaces to allow teachers to cater to individual students' needs more effectively.  

The final design is an inverted L-shaped building with floor-to-ceiling windows. As well as allowing natural light to flood through the building, this opens up views through the building, creating a dialogue with the local community who can glimpse the school at work. Recognising the importance of the schools rural identity, red corrugated iron was used throughout the design, giving a nod to the area's original red agricultural barns.

Tamaki College Community Recreation Centre

The Tāmaki College Community Recreation Centre was designed to accommodate the school's sports and educational programmes, while providing a space for the local community to use.

This simultaneous use requirement led to careful consideration of access control and flexible space use. The multi-purpose sports hall provides space for various indoor sports, and can be divided in half with vinyl curtains, enabling different activities at the same time. A fitness suite, changing rooms, and teaching, administration, storage, and multi-purpose spaces complete the development.

The design incorporates passive energy principles to supplement lighting, ventilation, and water usage, creating a reduced carbon footprint.

Taupo Events Centre

The Taupo Events Centre was developed to attract national and international standard events, providing significant economic spin-off for the town's accommodation and hospitality industries, while serving a range of community activities. The location, adjacent to the AC Baths, enables integrated management and operation of both facilities.

International standard ‘show' courts for all major indoor sports are included, with seating provided for 1,500 spectators. Three other indoor netball/basketballs/volleyball courts, and courts for other sports are provided, for community use.

Responding to the volumetric requirements of the sports played, a large curved roof encloses the space efficiently, minimising the building's surface area, and resulting heat losses and gains through the building's fabric. A natural ventilation system exploiting the ‘stack effect' in tall spaces reduces energy use and provides enhanced indoor air quality. Natural daylighting and sensor-controlled artificial lighting helps to minimise energy use.   

Supporting the local community, the iconic building creates a memorable image on this high-profile site and is referred to by locals as the "White Wētā" (a large insect native to New Zealand).

Te Aka Mauri Childrens Health and Library Hub

Rotorua Lakes Council’s library building in central Rotorua was under-utilised, and the Lakes District Health Board (DHB), whose facilities were on the outskirts of town, was struggling with low attendance rates, with many children not turning up to clinics, immunisations, and treatments.

Recognising that a central, accessible centre would increase health services attendance and better utilise space at the library, the DHB and Council joined forces. Together, they create Te Aka Mauri – Children’s Health and Library Hub, providing health, education, and inspiration for Rotorua families.

The new Hub is close to public transport, making outpatient services easily accessible. Reflecting Rotorua’s rich cultural background, principles of Mātauranga Māori (Māori world view) are reflected in the design. The interior is warm and welcoming, helping families using the services feel comfortable, and encouraging learning and connection.

As a result, clinic attendance rates and library use have risen dramatically. The DHB’s previous 30% no-show rate has dropped to nearly zero, and the library is more popular than ever.

Te Puia

Following a re-branding, the facilities of The Māori Arts and Crafts Institute needed upgrading, to better reflect their distinct offerings and to take advantage of the growth in the tourism market.

In Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, in Rotorua, the new facilities provide a welcoming space where manuhiri (visitors) and ākonga (students) can learn about Māori culture, arts, and crafts, and enjoy Rotorua's unique geothermal landscape.

At the entrance, an exciting contemporary artwork, ‘Heketanga-ā-Rangi' (‘Heavenly Origins'), references local iwi (tribe) Te Awara's cosmology.

The existing marae ātea (courtyard) and associated buildings are preserved as focal points for the cultural experience, delivered through stories by local guides. New buildings house carving and weaving schools, and the geothermal experience is enhanced with upgraded tracks, viewing platforms, and signage.

Reinterpreting traditional elements of Māori architecture, the soaring roof sheltering the interpretive centre is supported by eight pou (carved posts), which represent the "eight beating hearts" of Te Arawa. Arriving manuhiri enter the interpretive centre, emerging to a view of the marae ātea and wharenui (meeting house), before continuing their journey around the rest of the site.

Building materials and architectural forms enhance Te Puia's central themes. Decorated and carved timber creates warmth, typical of traditional Māori structures, and forms help create a sense of a place with great cultural and spiritual significance.

Toia Otahuhu Recreation Precinct

Tōia - Ōtāhuhu Recreation Precinct combines library, pool, and sports facilities in an inviting and accessible community hub, where Ōtāhuhu residents can come together to swim, play, learn, and relax.

Ōtāhuhu lies on one of the narrowest pieces of land between the Waitemata and Manukau harbours. Once an important portage and trading and meeting point for Māori, the vision for Tōia was that it would become a focal point for Ōtāhuhu, and hub of community activity.

Together with a team of specialist consultants, we were appointed to review existing masterplans and in turn prepare a new masterplan for a library and aquatic centre, to complement the existing recreation centre. The masterplan reconciles competing uses and circulation requirements, delivering visitors to the ‘heart' of the precinct where they can comprehend all the precinct has to offer.

Bright, warm colours create approachable and inviting interiors imbued with a sense of fun and with easy access between spaces, "swimmers" can become "readers, "readers" can become "swimmers," and everything in between.

Material selection and interior design focussed on creating a light, airy environment, with natural daylight entering through roof lights and high glazed walls. Robust and durable finishes, appropriate for a highly utilised public building, are used throughout.

Above the library's main walkway hangs "Spirit Level," a cloud-like glass sculpture by local artist Daniel Clifford. Each of Spirit Level's 1600 hand-blown glass spheres captures the breathe of a member of the Ōtāhuhu community. In 2015, Clifford partnered with locals in collaborative workshops, and the resulting work creates a shared sense of Tōia's history and future.

TSB Arena

Creative Spaces was commissioned by Wellington City Council to undertake a study to redevelop the Queens Wharf Events Centre with the key objectives of upgrading the facility to improve comfort and enjoyment for patrons, increasing spectator capacity, improving ventilation, providing better integration with Shed 6 and improving access between the ground and mezzanine floors for both equipment and personnel. The new design re-positioned the centre court parallel to the hall’s long axis. Along with improved sightlines, this enabled better distribution of spectators along the long sides of the hall and created the opportunity for additional retractable bleacher seating on the flat floor, parallel with the court sidelines. Spectator capacity was increased from 2133 to nearly 5000, and improved spectator circulation on the western side of the hall presented the opportunity to better acknowledge the Queens Wharf Events Centre’s urban context by making connections to Frank Kitts Park and the city to the west.

Tupu Youth Library

In response to extensive consultation, Tupu was designed to improve local access to library resources and to be the community focus for information and learning. In addition to books, the library provides a large number of computer workstations with access to the internet and other on-line resources. The Tupu library presented a complex design brief which has been addressed by a range of innovative solutions.

The open plaza at the front entry to the building acts as a community gathering space. The building was conceived as an open pavilion in the landscape, carefully integrated into the surrounding park. It is placed in the corner of the park to maximise available recreational space, but also to create the maximum exposure to park views and natural daylight.

The library makes specific reference to the architecture, art and craft of the Pacific and is intended to be a highly visible symbol of the Council’s relationship with its residents. A feature is the use of Polynesian decorative motifs in the carpet, service desks, and painted feature wall panels. Sustainable building practices employed included consideration towards building orientation and shading devices to reduce solar gain. Displacement air conditioning was employed.

Vector Wero Whitewater Park

New Zealand's first purpose-built artificial whitewater facility, Vector Wero Whitewater Park provides opportunities for recreation, sports and emergency services training, school programmes, and youth development.

A 203-metre Grade 2 recreational whitewater course is popular with schools and the local community. The more challenging 294-metre, Olympic-standard Grade 4 course is used for canoe/kayak slalom training, commercial rafting, and world-class canoe and kayaking events. A 4.5 metre high artificial waterfall compliments the courses, providing an adrenalin rush for those willing to try it.

The courses are supplied from a 22-million litre storage pond. Consistent with Vector Wero's philosophy of sustainability and use of natural resources, the pond is fed from an on-site bore and harvested rainwater. Simultaneous water flows deliver 16 cubic metres per second to the Grade 4 course, and 10.5 cubic metres per second to the Grade 2 course.

Constructed from cement-treated clay, and lined with shotcrete, the courses include drops and moveable obstacles. These create rapids in the channels, which can be tuned to allow for different levels of difficulty. The result is an exceptional whitewater facility for the local community, visitors, and professional athletes alike.

Vodafone Events Centre

In the heart of Manukau City, the Vodafone Events Centre is a unique piece of architecture that promotes the diverse cultural background of its surrounding areas.

In a joint venture with Cox Architects, we took a lead role in the centre's planning and architectural design, including the theatre, indoor arena, outdoor plaza and events space, car parking, and landscaping.

Working closely with the local community, iwi (tribes), and artists, we developed a theme of "coming together as one," that celebrates our shared histories of journeys across the Pacific to arrive in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

The complex interaction of form and architectural styles represents the meeting of Māori and Pacific cultures. The giant truss spanning from end to end of the building can be interpreted as the tāhuhu (ridge pole) of a whare (traditional Māori house), while the light weight ‘leaves' of the roof are similar to the lightly framed roofs of fales (traditional Samoan houses).

The brief included a 700-seat theatre and 3000 seat indoor arena, reconfigurable to accommodate a range of conferences, sporting, and entertainment events. Flexibility of operation was key, and both venues can operate simultaneously. The result is a functional, eye-catching design, which illustrates the multicultural nature of Auckland's population, and contributes to a sense of belonging to Aotearoa.

Westlake Girls High School

Located on Auckland's North Shore, Westlake Girls High School has a reputation for high achievement. With a focus on encouraging students' personal best, the school wanted to enable increased use of their netball and tennis courts, by adding an all-weather canopy to shelter players and spectators.

Strong and lightweight, the canopy includes a combination of synthetic fluoropolymer and fluorine-based plastic fabrics stretched over curved steel trusses. Additional structural shaping is given to the fabric by a series of ‘flying' compression struts between each pair of trusses, creating a highly visible structure adjacent to the Northern Busway and Motorway.

The canopy shelters four netball courts and six tennis courts, allowing training to continue in any weather. An indirect light­ing scheme provides glare-free light for national-standard night play, with light reflecting off the underside of the fabric.  

In use day and night, the structure has become iconic and is a much-loved part of the school. The improved conditions are helping more and more students engage with and enjoy sports, and reach goals that will set them up for success later in life.

WestWave Aquatic Centre

With the majestic Waitakere Ranges in the distance, West Wave Aquatic Centre is an important part of Henderson's identity. We were employed by Waitakere City Council to develop a leisure pool complex alongside the existing competition pools and recreation centre, where the local community can relax and have fun in a safe welcoming environment.  

The design references the Waitakere area's geography, history, and natural environment. The complex includes a wave pool, ‘lazy river', water slide, learn to swim pool, children's' pools, hydrotherapy pool, spa, sauna, and steam room. Also included are new changing rooms, administrative areas for management and membership facilities, meeting spaces, and a fitness suite that overlooks the leisure pool hall.

Waitakere City Council's eco-friendly policies are implemented in a number of ways, with rainwater harvested and stored in a large underground tank for wash down, and the leisure pool hall utilising natural lighting. Finishes are durable, and details to reduce maintenance are included wherever possible.

The aquatic centre continues to be popular with the Henderson community, with frequent visitors using the facilities to learn to swim, improve their fitness, relax, and have fun.