Richmond 10page book 150310

Richmond Road Development Site Analysis March 2015

By Vincent Huang

CONTOUR AND CATCHMENT The site is higher on the East (20m) and West (30m), the lowest part occurs at the junction of Richmond Road and Westmoreland Street. That portion of Westmoreland Street has a level of 11.5m, and is a natural overland flow path identified on the Council GIS. The design will seek restoration of the natural flow path revegetation, and explore potential to link the green belt North/South to the site.

RESIDENTIAL CONTEXT FROZEN The wider Auckland area is facing housing shortages. And in the Grey Lynn area, development potentials are hampered by blanket heritage demolition control, and the lack of width of a typical section (inability to provide access for infill subdivision). The area is “frozen�, prohibiting residential growth.

The proposal will seek residential development of appropriate intensity.

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES First observation is that no “For Lease” signs are visible. This is an general indication that the business in the area is sustained and settled. No oversupply of commercial floorspaces.

Bulk Retail Storage King, Mitre 10.

Quesition of whether their presence is critical to the amenitiy of the community.

Light Industrial A number of Consultancy/Manufacturing firms.

Attracted by large floor plates compounded with close proximity to CBD. How to accommodate these businesses?

Medium/Small Retail Farro, Fruitworld, Bakery, Café, Takeaways.

These businesses creates foot traffic. The proposal should develop ways into enhance street experience.

INTROVERT BUILDINGS Countdown, Mitre 10 The faรงade is merely a residue of maximisation of floor plates.

What if Mitre 10 can offer indoor arcade style passage?

SEGREGATION A commercial reality, but no attention is paid to the treatment of zoning boundaries or retaining walls.

The proposal will avoid segregation, fragmentation of lands, within the sites or to its adjoining sites.

THE URBAN FABRIC “The street has become residue, organizational device, mere segment of the continuous metropolitan plan where the remnants of the past face the equipments of the new in an uneasy standoff.� (Koolhaas, Mau, Sigler, Werlemann, & Architecture, 1998, p. 514) Two areas serve as the main collector of foot traffic (human interface).

Fruitworld carpark serves a row of retail shops. Farro carpark is larger serves Farro, Mitre 10, and few smaller shops.

Both are merely carparks. Other businesses have their own designated carparks, only informal links (jumping/climbing over retaining walls) exist between the businesses.

MASTERPLAN The opportunity for architect “… to organize both their independence and interdepence within a larger entity in a symbiosis that exacerbates rather than compromises specificity.”

(Koolhaas et al., 1998, p. 511) 1. Continuation of the Green Belt/Over Land Flowpath.

2. Develop people retaining spaces around the green belt.

3. Intensified but comfortable residential development along “residential frontage of Richmond Road.” Design will need to be sensitive to context.

4. Re-group commercial activities to enhance street user experience and street scape.

FURTHER CONSIDERATION GREEN BELT Through vehicular traffic? Scale?

Public square? Farmer’s Market? Park/Playground?

Carpark?

WESTMORLAND ST Refine layout. Slope? Scale?

Carpark? Bus? Pedestrain Only?

RICHMOND RD Architecture of the residential façade. Vehicular access?

OTHER MATTERS Treatment of level difference, how to avoid segregation of the retaining walls.

Density of residential development.

Koolhaas, R., Mau, B., Sigler, J., Werlemann, H., & Architecture, O. f. M. (1998). Small, Medium, Large, Extra-large: Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Rem Koolhaas, and Bruce Mau: Monacelli Press.