Wingates struck a balance between industrial and modern in the design of the Greenwood Roche offices in Auckland, New Zealand.

Greenwood Roche is a specialist Project Law Firm that advise on a range of New Zealand public and private sector projects. Their existing space had become tired and did not now reflect Greenwood Roche’s culture & values that embrace flexibility and a non-hierarchical approach within their firm. Hugely motivated to remain in Britomart, they approached us with an aspiration to design a space on Level 6 of Cooper & Co’s Hayman Kronfeld building, as a destination evoking flexibility, charm, was non-hierarchical, practical and had a people focused quality appropriate for top tier lawyers. Key to our brief was ensuring great acoustics throughout with the space providing multiple opportunities for staff get togethers.

A key consideration in our response was to ensure that we complemented the base building design, unique opportunities and challenges of a heritage building. Our design acknowledged the rhythm of the existing structure, the differences between the building facades, how the services are delivered and resolved the acoustic challenges.

In 1965, one side of the building was damaged by fire. The base building team preserved & reinforced the area, resulting in a beautiful dark chocolate-colored charred ceiling that contrasts with the rest of the space. This materiality is referenced in the reception desk and vintage furniture pieces to connect the two spaces and soften the newness of the fitout.

The open plan space was supported by meeting rooms and phone rooms providing alternative spaces for increased acoustic privacy for high-focus tasks. A carefully curated and restrained selection of materials was chosen to complement and enhance the beauty of the building fabric with brass features catching the light creating areas of focus and delight.

Design: Wingates
Design Team: Sarah Bryant, Ornela Priotti
Photography: Jono Parker

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