| 91 T T Kim Newth Encouraging a sense of community Imperial Park is an 85-unit industrial and commercial business hub, built in place of the old Imperial Tobacco plant in Petone. ARCHITECTURE Bonnifait and Associates Architects: Imperial Park ““While projects like this do come with constraints, as architects we also have a responsibility to think about the streetscape, the surroundings and the landscape and how to reconnect people.” Shortlisted for the 2024 Wellington Architecture Awards, Imperial Park by Bonnifait + Associates Architects demonstrates the added value that considered design can bring to light- industrial projects. Imperial Park is an 85-unit industrial and commercial business hub, built in place of the old Imperial Tobacco plant in Petone. The original brief from developer Rosco Ltd was to design for a maximum number of units that could be used as workshops, small business spaces or storage with parking to provide individual vehicle access. With houses on one side of the site and big-block commercial development on the other, Bonnifait + Associates Architects saw an opportunity to create a human-scale connection in their design response. This was achieved by grouping units in six blocks on a north-south axis, and with a pedestrian- and cycling-friendly green boulevard running east-west through the site. By proposing this new link between the more industrial Bouverie Street and neighbouring homes on Richmond St, the development has encouraged a new sense of community in the area. Features along the boulevard include landscape planting, resting places with timber benches, rain gardens and a water-filling station. “In New Zealand, you see a lot of tilt slab concrete, flat-roofed style light-industrial developments that all look the same,” observes award-winning French-born architect Cecile Bonnifait, Principal of Bonnifait + Associates Architects. “While projects like this do come with constraints, as architects we also have a responsibility to think about the streetscape, the surroundings and the landscape and how to reconnect people. What we have designed here is quite different to the usual light-industrial development.” Care for people and the environment is a strong theme at Imperial Park. While the old tobacco factory had to be demolished, the building’s concrete was not wasted. Instead, it was used to pack up the ground to level. The Imperial Park units, fitted with bathrooms and kitchenettes, are sized from 51sqm with height variations and come with double parking. Some units are longer, some are wider and that variation also supports mixed use, offering a myriad of options from showroom, retail and office to industrial. Those taking up units fit them out how they wish, with flexibility to add a mezzanine level. The unit blocks are attractively finished, featuring coloured aluminium openings, opal corrugate cladding and textured concrete. Units topped with gable roofing present an inviting façade along Bouverie St. Bonnifait + Associates Architects have a consistent approach on every new design, whether small or large scale, that always considers the land, environment, people, structure and heritage. “It’s about uncovering a collective memory and relationship to space, reconnecting people and creating places to belong.” Over 23 years in practice, Cecile and her team have developed a portfolio from bespoke residential and commercial boutique architecture to light-industrial development, regenerative tourism and eco-farm development. Bonnifait + Associates has won a host of accolades this year. Award-winning projects include the elegant Thornton-Hasegawa Mini-Fab - named the 2024 Small House HOME of the Year - and the lush Black Beech House, which won a Housing Award in the 2024 Gisborne and Hawkes Bay Architecture Awards. Their sassy Paekakariki Evans-Pewhairangi House project was Highly Commended in the renovation category at this year’s HOME of the Year. Premier Roofing Wellington Ltd is proud to collaborate with Bonnifait and Associates to bring the Imperial Park project to successful fruition 04 473 1552 | www.premierroofing.co.nz
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