90 | ARCHITECTURE CPRW Collaboration key to quality outcomes The Central Energy Trust Arena Entrance Plaza is another project in Palmerston North is also up for contention in the Western Branch of the NZIA awards. Sue Russell RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL | DEVELOPMENT PROUDLYWORKING PALMERSTON NORTH MAORI RESERVE TRUST 06 952 3584 | info@humphries.kiwi | 8 Connolly Place, P.N. | www.humphries.kiwi PROUDLY WORKING WITH CPRW G OUP Shortlisted in the ‘Small Project Architecture’ section of the Auckland Architecture Awards is a stylish new lobby in the hortland & Fort building in the city’s downtown CBD. Designers CPRW, an architectural practice that has been in business 82 years and counting designed the lobby, which opens up the multi-storey building to Fort St giving it a second business entrance and most importantly, a ‘Britomart address’. The new Fort Street entrance connects to the main lift lobby at Shortland Street, 9 floors above with fast shuttle lifts enabling seamless access for tenants to two of the cities main business areas. The impressive building, at 125m tall is one of the city’s iconic commercial premises. CPRW were commissioned to provide full architectural design of the lobby transformation project. “We found the owners of the building, a German Property Fund who bought the building back in 2014, very open to engaging with us to achieve the highest quality outcomes to give the building a sophisticated Fort Street presence while tackling the problem a lot of A Grade office buildings on Shortland Street have; they face the wrong way,” says Wade Jennings, a CPRW director. Extensive use of copper panelling on Fort Street ‘tipping the hat’ to a large copper artwork on Level 9 is just one example of how visual punch has been delivered and Wade says it was great to have a client open to seeing the benefits of investing in outstanding quality. “They understood opening the building up to Fort Street would position their asset well for the kinds of tenants they wanted to attract. It’s positioning in the lower CBD is perfect for doing business.” The scope of work at Shortland & Fort was broad and included installation of new lifts, re-design of the primary entry lobby, a business centre and gym facility and a full re-clad of the rotunda, along with general building upgrades. Working in the commercial domain is something Wade is very familiar with, having worked for 10 years in Europe with one of the largest architecture practices in the world. During this time he had the opportunity to work on many projects across Europe and the Middle East for global companies. Wade, along with fellow director David Morgan joined CPRW in 2016 at a time of transition when two former directors retired. During their time, the practice has grown and shrunk a little. Today Wade and David lead a team of 10 professionals. Wade says this relatively small size practice means he and David can stay hands on and oversee projects comfortably. “We have a very strong collaborative approach where everyone is encouraged to input. Today there are some very smart young people coming out of their formal training and its our task to overlay the theoretical with what can be achieved at a build level.” Another project in Palmerston North is also up for contention in the Western Branch of the NZIA awards, something CPRW is very proud of. The Central Energy Trust Arena Entrance Plaza has been nominated in the Public Architecture section. “The project manager phoned me and asked me for my opinion on how best to facilitate the masterplan for the site and enhance the visitor experience for people entering the arena. It was quite a complex task given the popularity of the place for speedway racing. The iconic bridge entrance way and aligned spaces is just Stage 1 of a larger masterplan that will transform the arena over time. Eventually there will be more community related sports facilities on the site.” The kinds of projects CPRW takes on are often many years in the planning. Wade says, given the size of the practice they are only able to focus on a few projects at a time. Right now, work is centred around the new Auckland Council Southern Hub building and a big office building renovation project close to Aotea Square. Asked whether he would like to see the practice grow much bigger Wade says at this time it is challenging to find the kind of people who would fit in well with the business’s culture. “David and I like to stay close to the projects the practice works on and we have some great people we trust to carry them forward. We would like to grow so we can take on more projects, but not so big that we lose touch with the work. We are aware of what makes us different and that’s something we have to be careful with.” And continuous learning in the form of ongoing professional development underpins the journey for freshly graduating architects. Once registration has been achieved for experienced practitioners such as David and Wade, the profession demands regular additional learning, something Wade says is a good thing. “Thinking around design and the technologies involved are continually evolving, so a big part of the role is maintaining an understanding of what is new.” It’s called Continuous Professional Development and is a big part of being an Architect, once initially qualified. “It’s about staying in touch with what is going on, particularly around new materials, changes in the building code and maintaining ‘best practice’.” Looking forward to the outcomes of two award nights is something Wade and the team are looking forward to. For a team of just 10 of us to be shortlisted in two districts in the same year is a great achievement in itself.”
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