Tennent Brown Architects
Project Location:
Victoria University Wellington
Categories:
Interior Fit Out
Project Description:
The brief was to re-fit the existing space and accommodate the School of Geography Environment and Earth Science in order to gain more useable individual offices and a meeting room. The project was to keep within strict budget guidelines.
The design strategy was to open the central core zone, removing the rabbit warren corridors of the original 1960s office fitout. Two corridors were created on either side of the central zone to access newly organised perimeter offices. The central core zone was designed to contain services and support spaces of kitchen and meeting rooms. The services block and lift shaft at the entry are wrapped in maps that signpost this school.
This strategy allowed the offices view, light and natural ventilation, while the core zone became a wide meeting space for social interaction of occupants.
A series of macrocarpa fins marks the edge of the offices and are shaped to create a dynamic geological shift along the corridors. A light slot to the edge of these corridors boosts and balances the natural light in the office space.
Environmentally Sustainable Design objectives were employed being materials selection, reuse of existing resources and enhancing natural lighting:
Locally sourced macrocarpa fins, hoop pine ply joinery, natural cork wall panels and radiata pine ply ceiling panels punched to perform acoustically. Salvaged wall maps were used for the lift shaft and rimu panelling was reused into the offices and where possible retention of existing walls and electrical runs.