Alexandra New Commercial Building
New offices and retail shop in schist stone and plaster, joint winner of 2006 Otago Chamber of Commerce Best Development Award.
Our solution included liasion with NZHPT and neighbouring business to gain Resource Consent for a 2 storey building across the entire site to be in context with the streetscape of Limerick Street and provide our clients with maximum rental space and cost effectiveness. We designed upper level southern tenancy large roof windows aligned with wall windows to allow light to pass through the building to minimise environmental impact on the neighbouring garden centre and innovatively overcome the single storey resource consent restriction. To link this new building with the old BNZ building the plastered column and cornice detail was scaled to suit a 2 storey building and set out on a structural grid varied to focus on the entrance ways. The texture and colour of stone schist veneer was used for infill panels to harmonise with adjoining buildings and add aesthetic appeal to the surroundings. Paint colours in Resene napa X200 and silver pearl on steel work and aluminium joinery to the exterior together with spanish white, half spanish white and white interiors used to create a tonal colour scheme that is light, airy and suitable for tenants to add corporate identity. We encouraged corporate red colour into the interior fit out to liven the neutral tenancy spaces. The First National tenancy was split over 2 levels with manager’s office, meeting room and reception at street level occupying the prime corner location for the highest visibility. The introduction of a double height void to main entrance gives a spacious welcome to prospective clients and both functional and exciting space relationship with upper level offices. A lift was provided for disabled access to common toilets on the upper level minimised the area for facilities and maximising prime street level rental space. The largest tenant space at street level was designed to be subdivided through access provided to both street frontages. The overall layout is the most cost efficient planning solution with the added benefit of 2 exciting vertical space relationships. The environmental impact has been extremely positive with the township embracing the building and the Otago Chamber of Commerce awarding the building joint winner of 2006 Best Commercial Development in Otago. The project not only meets but exceeded the clients brief and was achieved under budget. The clients are so thrilled with the building it is called “Kinnaird House” from their family name as their contribution to Architecture in Alexandra.