Book 2 will pranay leonard madeline

Port of Auckland Master Plan Will, Pranay, Leonard & Madeline

The Active Environment

There is a tendency in the development of post-industrial sites to engage superficially with the concept of ecology; a dichotomy between nature and industry that produces designed outcomes that are contrived in their expression of ‘urban nature’. The scale of the site on the Auckland waterfront means that it has the potential to enact tangible outcomes for the remediation of polluted soils and water, to contribute positively to an existing coastal ecology, and to be adaptable to radical changes in the environment, rather than simply presenting a picturesque image of ecology that has more value in its representational agency.

Easy Access

Guiding Values Our research and design development in the master planning stage is guided by four principal values. These values represent our commitment to responsible if somewhat idealistic development. The context of the site is also central to our design; investigation at all levels of analysis is focused on a concept of identity.

In its present state, the site of the Ports of Auckland effectively exists as a self-contained tract of reclaimed land, and as a barrier between the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland city. Central to the development of the site is the idea that access to the waterfront is a public right, moving past a post-colonial rationalization of this gesture, the aim of the development is to re-posit water and the harbour as part of the functional routines, rituals and activities of the average Aucklander. To achieve this the master plan considers Access at a variety of scales in terms of integrating Auckland’s waterfront with the wider city and the effect of the site development on existing patterns of transport, pedestrian accessibility.

Liveability

Auckland is rated among the most livable cities in the world, but what does this mean for its residents? Currently in the throes of a housing crisis, how can Auckland, and specifically the site on the former site of the Ports of Auckland allow the city to provide a truly world class level of public amenity, engaging civic and recreational space and, god willing, affordable housing for the ever expanding population that calls Auckland home.

Adding Land Value

For what reasons do we assign value to land?

Arguments for the retention of an inner city working industrial port were based principally on the grounds that the Ports of Auckland were a valuable contributor to the Auckland economy. Presented with a now vacant site, there is an expectation to reconcile the loss of commerce through development in the built environment. A combination of commercial and residential development can function to activate the site as a profitable project, and integration with Hospitality and Retail development would establish a vibrant center in the city populated by everyday commerce. The built environment on the site can also have a crucial role in identifying it as a destination for tourism.

Auckland’s Integrated Waterfront Precinct

The green band city approach

The Engagement with Waitemata, the water’s edge.

Three Strategies Three key strategies have been identified in initial readings of the site and of the opportunities it presents to the city.

Green city approach – The first is concerned with the approach to the city by sea, which is a key symbolic moment in terms of the identity of the city. Currently the industrial activity of the port is the dominant image seen by visitors to the city, we envisage a green foreground in the form of a band of new parkland to frame the site.

An integrated waterfront precinct – The waterfront of Auckland city is to be thought of as space for the development of an identity in the built environment, as the waterfront of the city is reclaimed from it’s industrial past, it is replace by responsible development.

Engagement with the harbour, the water’s edge – A connection to water in a physical and visual sense is essential to our idea of an identity for Auckland, and the concept of a primal connection between people and water informs the development at a variety of scales.

1. The Waterfront Axis

The Waterfront Axis is very important to the site as it provides a continuous spine of transport and services. This axis also plays a major role in the pedestrian though fare from the North Shore though to East Auckland. The axis should also lead pedestrians from Wynyard Quarter to the park and cultural destination.

2. The Arterial Axis

This axis outlines the major connections onto the site. It is vital that these areas are well connected and knitted into the urban fabric. These arterial axis routes provide us with locations where access to the water is essential.

3. The Wharf Axis

The wharf axis demonstrates the connection between the land and the sea. The majority of the wharfs are orientated towards the harbour entrance. Although the wharfs are quite permanent structures, we will be channelling and remediating selected areas.

Infrastructure: Transport

Currently Quay St provides a harsh southern boundary to the site. Transport is important for the efficiency of the city. Private vehicle access will still be maintained onto the site, but in a much more controlled pedestrian friendly way. For the majority of the site Quay st will be tunneled, allowing for more fluid access to the site. Public transport will also need to be considered due to the large scale of the site.

Infrastructure: Storm water

Currently the storm water for the city is channelled down to the waterfront in various positions. The storm water undergoes no treatment and often lead to pollutants being dumped into the harbour. A method of capturing this water and filtering and treating this needs to be developed in order to improve the water quality. This filtration method could also be closely incorporated into the greenspace of the city.

Access Pedestrian and vehicular access, and public transport are integrated in the proposal and function to make the development permeable and on a human scale and effective on a wider scale in connecting the site with the rest of the city.

One of the main visions concerning access is of a continuous pedestrian loop encircling the harbour from North Head across the proposed Harbour Bridge Skypath, through Wynyard Quarter and Downtown, through our site and along Tamaki Drive out to the bays at the harbour entrance.

Te Rerenga-Oraiti Point Britomart. “leap of the survivors .

Site where Ngati Whatua forces drove Te Routu o Ureia Site where taniwha (the marine guardian Ureia) would rub his body

Te To Headland Pa (”to haul up a waka”)

a few survivors. Point was demolishe to

Te Ngahuwera Maori Pa

HMNZS Ngapona

the British brig, HMS Britomart which visited auckland in 1840’s

Nga one maru o Te Huatau Sheltered bay of Huatau, an ancestor of Te Wai o hua. vstretches to Judges Bay

Te Hika a Rama

Naval base accessed by Jacobs Ladder alerted enemies and was attacked

Taurarua Horotiu

History and Culture The modern industrial history of the Ports of Auckland site can be thought of as the superficial layer beneath which lies the story of Auckland’s origin as a harbour settlement.

Waiatarau

Te Koranga and processing area

Te Whatu Waka mooring at mouth of Horotiu streem

The Birdcage The Rob Roy hotel, 1886,

Te Oka Maori Pa

Victoria Park Market Built in 1905 after European settlement

Te Tara Karaehe track connection Queen Street and waka landings at bottom of nelson street named after a tern bird

Te Horo Roa ”the slipping away”. Former position of a pa which slippde away and killed many people

Research identifying the original coastline and related sites of historical and cultural significance is to be considered in the proposed development of the site. The research identifies Maori settlements and events from Auckland’s pre-European past as important in the development of a built environment for the future version of Auckland city.

This future development should reflect Maori conceptions of history and the bi-cultural history of European settlement, acknowledgement of the modern industrial past is important in treatment of the existing built environment on the site, and it should also consider the contemporary city as a centre of growing cultural diversity.

a

b

c

d

Edge Conditions The edge condition between the built environment and the water is a component of the key strategy to engage with the harbour, it is also determined by the guiding value of Easy Access.

The current edge condition is to be figuratively fragmented and dissolved through built intervention to create a variety of modes of interaction with water. These diagrams represent abstract iterations of this edge.

The scale and materiality of the intervention will be considered to provide both engaging and accessible edge conditions, encouraging active participation in recreational activities in and around the harbour.

GREENSPACE / PARK CULTURAL RECREATIONAL CARPARK / STORAGE MIXED USE WATER REMEDIATION MARKETS AQUACULTURE HOSPITALITY NOTEABLE ARCHITECTURE MAN-MADE INTERACTION NATURAL EDGE CONDITION

Project Economic feasibility Percentage of public space: 75% Percentage of private space: 25% Income genetators Multiresidential offices Cruise ship terminal Market Lido / pool

Multiresidential Floor area: 20,000m2 Number of floors: 3 M2 of apartments: 200m2 Number of apartments: 300 Price per apartment: $1,700,000

Cut and Fill of site Total M2 of area to be removed: 121,500 m2 Total M3 of area to be removed: 303,710 m3

Total revenue: $510,000,000 Offices Floor area: 20,000m2 Number of floors: 1 M2 of offices: 600m2 Number of apartments: 30 Price per apartment: $1,200,000 Total revenue: $36,000,000 Cruise ship terminal Revenue: $63,000,000 /year Market Revenue: $2,000,000 /year Total sale revenue: $546,000,000 Total Income per year: $65,000,000

Total M2 of area to be Filled: 83,600 m2 Total M3 of area to be Filled: 100,200 m3 Total M3 to be removed from the site: 203,510 m3