Plant and Food Research Head Office

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

• PROJECT

  Plant and Food Research Head Office

• CLIENT

  Plant and Food Research

• LOCATION

  Mount Albert, Auckland

• STATUS

  Completed

• JV PARTNER

  Lab-works Architecture

• AWARDS

  • Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Auckland Commercial Architecture 2019

  • Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Auckland Resene Colour Commercial Architecture 2019

  • Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards finalist 2019

 “…one of the finest internal office spaces you’re likely to find anywhere in the city.”

-NZIA Awards Citation

The redevelopment of the 7 storey Hamilton Building transformed an unloved brutalist structure full of siloed work spaces into a visually exciting, open and modern laboratory and office building. Originally designed with large horizontal spandrels that housed the building services but blocked out light and view, Bossley Architects with Lab-Works Architecture have re-configured the services into a screened “Saddlebag” that allow floor to ceiling glass on both sides of the building.

Internally, the central corridor and sequestered lab/offices have given way to lab area and open plan writeup areas on three floors, thereby encouraging staff interaction. On Levels 1 and 2 the admin offices were opened dramatically with circulation moved from the central spine to the eastern curtain wall, services and storage in the centre and open desks on the western side. Focus and meeting rooms as well as seating are well distributed to provide quiet places to work and meet. To allow the Laboratories to continue to work un-interrupted through the redevelopment, Bossley designed a staging plan whereby no more than two floors would be empty at a time.

The lobbies on each floor are greatly enhanced by a generous open stair that winds up a defunct vertical duct. Two cantilevered “popouts” with tea stations create additional interaction space to foster mingling between floors.