Auckland Airport wish to fabricate place to augment the District and operate as a nucleus of collaborative work spaces within the Quad Precinct. Their approach and answer to attracting people to the airport hub and defining place is to flatten the site and build 6 story commercial and retail buildings in separate blocks with central courtyards. Their proposed solution for bringing people to site further isolates the Airport and creates a barricade of immense mass removing any visual access. The application of large commercial buildings may bring people to the site for work but does not necessarily create place or a place that people will enjoy. Therefore it is essential to erode and wear away at these masses to carve out public private and secret spaces for people to discover. To make place here there is a need for the space to be memorable. The current scheme is lacking in difference to other business/social hubs therefore hidden moments of secrecy is key in making the Quad precinct a place of opportunity, diversity and place. Places for retreat, work, rest and to conceal oneself.

 

Between each construction phase within the Quad a series of erosions will gradually grow and carve their way through the site. These negative spaces will spread along the south west axis as well as the cultural spine of site. This is driven by earlier research on wind tunnels and rain flow through the proposed site. The eroded views into these spaces and buildings will allow people to become slowly interested and familiar over time establishing place from the intial start of construction then eventually fading out into secrecy as the construction phases are completed. The overall masterplan development is expected to be 5-10 years for completion.

 

Modular precast concrete ribs doubles as an aesthetic facade and structure. The continuity of the ribs evolve into a sun shading device for the building where light is abstracted into the work and public spaces. A thin curtain wall runs along the interior of the ribs enclosing the spaces within. The interstitial nature of the spaces between each rib allows light to elegantly play with the form and seep into the secret spaces while people simultaneously work, rest and explore. The variation in height at ground levels of each rib create rhythm under foot and the push/pull of the wall elements trigger people to run their hands along the form, creating a constant childlike dynamic and engagement with space.

 

The top three levels of the building are left untouched by the erosions; this will be applied throughout the entire scheme allowing for provisions of space for corporate and commercial businesses to use. The entrance into the office spaces is via the ground level where café and retail is situated therefore everyone entering is exposed to the strongly eroded areas on the ground as well as being presented with the opportunity to explore the sattered crevasses and secret spaces. The juxtaposition of public and private allows for areas of secrecy to occur, collaboration and interaction from ground level to level 3. The architecture responds by gently blurring the lines between spaces and encouraging those who enter.