KEY POINTS:
Heritage specialist Bluewater is about to let the construction contract to build a $120 million cinema, parking and apartment building in front of the three 16-level Scene apartment blocks on Auckland's waterfront.
Matthew Cockram, Bluewater's chief executive, yesterday showed a group of architects the design plans for one
of the largest new buildings his firm has planned on the boundary of the heritage precinct.
His address was part of Architecture Week and he emphasised the role played by Australian masterplan architects Johnson Pilton Walker in the refurbishment and redevelopment of the Britomart heritage precinct.
The site for the new building is at the intersection of Quay St and Britomart Place and was not part of the deal Bluewater struck with Auckland City for the Britomart buildings, Cockram said. But the heritage project had a desperate shortage of carparking so Bluewater had bought the site and planned the building to resolve this shortage, he said.
Large-scale parking areas were an inappropriate use of land within the Britomart's hub, he said.
"We didn't want to put carparks into the prime part of the precinct," he said.
The new project has been dubbed the Oriental and the scale of development is subject to stringent height restrictions to protect waterfront views of Scene owners.
Cockram said the building's design was low and streamlined, "like an aircraft carrier.
"The development value is approximately $120 million and two-and-half levels of basement will be created underground, with five levels above ground, all under height restriction in favour of Scene Apartments," Cockram said.
"Resource consent has been applied for and we will start construction in the first quarter of next year and finish by 2010. We are now negotiating the construction contract."
Richard Johnson of Sydney architects Johnson Pilton Walker had been involved in the area's master planning and integration with other new buildings, Cockram said. Jeremy Craig at Ignite was the principal architect for the new Oriental parking/cinema/apartment block, he said.
"The building will have 1200 carparks, a third for short-term casual parking. the balance to be allocated to our commercial and residential tenants.
"The carpark structure is entirely sleeved to the north and east by retail, apartments and cinema."
A creche and 108 to 120 serviced apartments are planned and Bluewater is aiming for a four-star rating on the accommodation.
The building will also have 470 cinema seats on its west to south-west frontage. Cockram expressed his annoyance at buses which used Britomart's internal roading like Tyler St when, he said, they were barred from the area. But he said afterwards that he understood problems bus drivers faced in finding suitable areas for short-term parking.
The Oriental
Five-level building to be developed on Quay St
1200 carparks, 470 cinema seats, 108-120 units
To be developed next to Foodtown