New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 33/03C | Page 68

Project
EMA
Location:
Auckland
Developer
Location Group
Architect:
Avery Team Architects
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Intelligent development, architectural ingenuity and smart adaptive reuse all come together to
create EMA’s modern new office and conference hub – all set on EMA’s existing central location
Out-moded, cubicle-style offices falling short
of staff needs and carparking that amounted to
borrowed floorspace in a central old warehouse
structure – these were just two examples of the
under-utilised state of the existing Employers and
Manufacturers Association (EMA) premises on
Auckland’s Khyber Pass Road.
Mark Weipers, co-director of developer Location
Group, says he initially became involved in the pro-
ject when thinking of buying the 5500m 2 property.
“At the time, EMA was looking to relocate to a
new address to accommodate new offices, new
conference facilities and teaching spaces, as well
as ample parking and hospitality venues,” Weipers
says. “However, Location Group also looked into
how, with careful planning, EMA could efficiently
utilise the prime land they already owned. They
liked our ideas, so instead of selling up they chose
to redevelop the asset they had and employed us
as development manager.”
These pages:Mesh-enclosed
walkways and stairs, glass
balconies and a lift column that
rises above the principal building
form all combine to give the new
EMA head office a distinctive
presence. The building is just
one aspect of the EMA business
hub comprehensively reworked
by Avery Team Architects and
developer Location Group.