York Street

Shaped and inflected by imposing development controls, the York Street development in Auckland’s Parnell utilises site constraints to generate a sculptural form for a new office building. Financial imperatives required the maximisation of the site’s leasable floor area, whilst urban design imperatives required an engaging building form that was transparent and weather protected at street level. Gently arcing facades meet at dual street corners and give the building an urbane sculptural presence fitting for its mid-height scale. A near-opaque fritted glass volume stands over a transparent ground level tenancy. The contrast between the clear and the obscure lends the upper volume a sense of weight and visually emphasises its upper and lower edges, encouraging the eye to follow the form’s gentle ins and outs. The 5 levels of commercial space above ground are accessed from a central circulation core housed deep in the plan so as to provide for the efficient partitioning of the office plates. The ground level lobby is shaped by its own dramatic inflection in to the heart of the plan, taking advantage of the distance to the core to offer a highly sculpted entry experience. A light shaft cut through the heart of the plan terminates in the lobby in a fluted-glass lantern; a glowing beacon drawing visitors through. The upper-level floor plates are animated by a select few gestures – the shaped façade lines, the penetrating light shaft, and the solid circulation and amenities core. All are subtly angled and curved and together offer a clearly articulated and spacious floor plate, but one marked by a gentle dynamism. A speculative development required to be open and flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of tenants, the design nonetheless instils the building with a strong and particular character, bringing forthright definition to the street corner and demonstrating design excellence in an effort to acknowledge and activate the street-side experience in this light-industrial context.