Alexandra smith book 4

THE URBAN COLLECTIVE A CANVAS FOR CITY LIVING

By Alexandra Smith

“When assembled in a group... ordinary things such as dusty bottles and boxes take on a monumental quality�

- Giorgio Morandi

CONTENTS Introduction 4 The Short Stories 5 The Site 6 The Complex 8 A Slice 16 The Public Realm 18 The Private Realm 30

THE HEART OF AUCKLAND CITY DESERVES MORE THAN ANOTHER DETACHED ISOLATED TOWER

The Urban Collective is an disconnected towers. It is and to create a place, not of stories and discoveries

AND

illustration of a possible alternative to the isloation of suburbia and an attempt to recognise the beautiful complexity and multiplicity of a city based on one linear story, but on the idea of setting the scene for a myriad to unfold.

It aims to create a village-like sense of intimacy and social interaction, set in a modern and sustainable built environment. It hopes to create a place that is both coherent and complex, a place of journey, discovery and delight.

The design is laid out around the journeys of six short stories and the needs, aspirations and discoveries of these potential characters. The carefully fragmented arrangement of simple forms is inspired by the concept of still life paintings...

A paused moment in which to recognise the beauty of a collection of ordinary things

THE SHORT STORIES

THE DOER

THE OBSERVER

A place to succeed, and a place of respite and interaction

A little haven in the city, a sense of ownership watching over

THE GATHERER

A fresh new vista, new memories souvenirs and a feeling of being part of it all.

A place of exchange and the discovery of something new

THE WANDERERS

THE SEEKER

A place for opportunity and discovery. Somewhere free something cheap to eat

THE EXPLORER

A place to play and engage, a place that’s green and soft and safe.

The design proposes a variety of homes aimed at tempting owner occupiers into the city and a network of offices in which clusters of work spaces promote interaction and networking. There is a semi-enclosed retail mall, a collection of independent retailers, and artisan and temporary spaces where new small innovations can grow, as well as contemporary cafes, bars, nightclubs and a grungy ‘urban foodcourt’.

This lively mix is centred around an organic core, a calm sanctuary for dwellers and visitors alike and a reflection of New Zealand’s reputation as a pure, green country.

The design is a reflection of the idea that true economic development is about the birth, expansion and replacement of businesses, and that instead of building monstrosities, our cities needs to reflect and support this idea by providing a framework that people can accommodate to their needs. Public and private space draw energy from one another - where there are people there is success and where there is success there are people.

It is about the culmulative: The idea that a combination of smaller elements is more stable than one large one because change, or failure, can be accommodated without endangering the whole.

THE SITE PLAN 1:500

THE COMPLEX

Building up the site

OFFICE CAFE/RESTAURANT/COFFEE PLAY SPACE PUBLIC GREEN SPACE HOMES ARTISAN/TRANSIENT

RETAIL

BAR/NIGHTCLUBS RETAIL

0 ENCLOSED SHOPPING At the foot of the Britomart station, visitors are presented with two choices...

The first is a glowing glass threshold through which the Gatherer strides in seach of collectibles, and the Wanderers amble because it looks warm and familliar. The ceilings are high, there is a large atrium and a green walled access tower to lead you up to the plaza above

1 THE PLAZA The second choice is a playful set of steps, up which the Explorer scrambles, between fruit trees and planter boxes. This is the organic core of the design, soft and natural and spilling out towards the streets. In the North West corner stepped platforms provide a sunny viewing point to view the harbour. In the South this plaza meets the ground level, an ‘Urban Foodcourt’ entices young Seekers with neon lights and bunting. The design draws amblers from Queen st and the Britomart precinct through towards the harbour, connecting the pathway along to the waterfront areas.

OFFICE CAFE/RESTAURANT/COFFEE PLAY SPACE PUBLIC GREEN SPACE HOMES ARTISAN/TRANSIENT

RETAIL

BAR/NIGHTCLUBS RETAIL

2 THE ARTISAN GARDEN One more flight of stairs overlook the harbour, leading up to a garden lined with small stores - temporary places where the Seeker finds an opportunity to start something new. It is here that the Wanderers arrive, surprised and delighted, from the lift tower to a place with a view and unique souvenirs.

3 QUIET WALKING/RUNNING TRACK Three floors up, the building steps back from the existing Zurich and HSBC houses, and here begins a network of work spaces. The quiet spaces inbetween are softly landsaped and always watched over.

The track forms a 400m loop, an easy five minute walk to another office, or an opportunity for a lunch time jog or to visit your child in the community playspace and library in the south west corner. It is here that the Doer finds a gentle respite from his day in the cool restaurant overlooking the fountains in the central plaza.

OFFICE CAFE/RESTAURANT/COFFEE PLAY SPACE PUBLIC GREEN SPACE HOMES ARTISAN/TRANSIENT

RETAIL

BAR/NIGHTCLUBS RETAIL

5 OPEN NETWORK OF OFFICES AND HOUSING CLUSTERS Five floors up, collections of homes begin to appear. Access follows the same softly landscaped pathways shared with workers and others, but the homes face away from the bustle.

Each has its own identifiable front door, and many have steps and a small garden out the back.

8 OPEN NETWORK OF OFFICES AND HOUSING CLUSTERS Further up higher the networks continue - no office or home is more than three or four stories above a ground plane with people and gardens. HSBC and Zurich house towers are broken into, letting in the light and fragmenting and reconecting the previously hidden workspaces.

OFFICE CAFE/RESTAURANT/COFFEE PLAY SPACE PUBLIC GREEN SPACE HOMES ARTISAN/TRANSIENT

RETAIL

BAR/NIGHTCLUBS RETAIL

11 HOME IN THE SKY Highest of all floats a selection of homes, above all the action, where there is the most privacy and the most spectacular view. It is here that the Observer arrives home, from her proud little shop down below, to her own little haven in the city.

The design focuses now on this northern corner of the site, where there are retail spaces and work places, artisan stalls, studios and homes. It is a detailed example of the construction, style and nature of how the rest of the site would too be developed.

THE SLICE

A section of the site from Queen St to Albert St

The design proposes a Cross Laminated Timber panel and Glulam column and beam structure system.

This is a massive construction system, with high levels of insulation, fire rating and sustainability in terms of the renewablility of timber and its ability to sequester carbon.

The complex is set on deep foundation piles due to the nature of the reclaimed land, and the propsed CRL train tunnel will run alongside and behind the carpark levels of the design

SITE SECTION

Looking south between Queen St and Albert St

1:500

QUEEN STREET ENTRANCE

A fresh new building unfurling, challenging the city around it.

THE CENTAL PLAZA

A quiet sanctuary in which light music floats and warm lights twinkle in the trees in the evening.

65MM CONCRETE ON WATERPROOF MEMBRANE 4OMM IMPACT SOUND INSULATION

50MM FILL ON WATERPROOF MEMBRANE XL7/200 CLT

18.5MM RUSTICATED CEDAR CLADDING 20X45MM BATTENS ON BUILDING WRAP 90MM INSULATION WITH BATTEN INTERMEDIATE STRUCTURE XL3/90 CLT WALL PANELS

Xl7/200 CLT FLOORS ON GL8 675X135mm PRECAMBERED GLULAM BEAMS @ 6000CTRS ON GLULAM COLUMNS AND XL5/175 CLT WALL PANELS

GREEN ROOF SOIL 50MM DRAINAGE FILL ON WATERPROOF MEMBRANE 80MM EXTRUDED POLYSTYRENE ON BITUMINOUS MEMBRANE

SECTION AT 1:50

THE NORTHERN CLUSTER

Section looking north from near corner of Albert and Quay Street

THE PUBLIC REALM

N

FIRST FLOOR PLAN 1:200

APPROACH FROM THE HARBOUR EDGE

Steps tumble down infront of the view and soft grass spills over onto the corner of Quay St and Albert.

N

SECOND FLOOR PLAN 1:200

THE ARTISAN GARDEN

Transient stores support the local economy, neighbours chat while buying bread and children play in the grass.

STUDIOS AND HOMES ABOVE

Home and work are integrated, public and private are separated by level changes and position in relation to the public space.

THE BOOKSTORE

Dappled sunlight spills into a warm and musty place of discovery.

THE PRIVATE REALM

Interspersed with semi public spaces

N

THIRD FLOOR PLAN 1:200

A LIVING ROOM

Balcony walls act as planter boxes and concrete flors soak up the suns heat.

FIFTH FLOOR PLAN 1:200

N

FOURTH FLOOR PLAN 1:200

RESIDENTIAL ACCESSWAY

Timber insets and steps mark the entrances to private homes.

Roof forms follow the shape of each identifiable space.

THE OBSERVERS LIVING ROOM

A warm timber interior with handcrafted steps and a seat by the window.

A BEDROOM

White walls give respite from the timber communal areas. A place that is pure and peaceful.