New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 33/03C | Page 72

and conference spaces with a cafe at the rear.
Then, the brand-new head office was constructed
at the front of the property, looking to the street.
The last part of the jigsaw was moving EMA staff
from their existing offices into the new premises,
allowing their existing office building to be sold to
an independent company.
“A tricky part of this project was the reworking of
the old warehouse,” says Avery. “This was stripped
back, with structural members and concrete panels
retained, and a mezzanine created for open-plan
lecture and seminar rooms. New skylights ensure
light-filled, healthy learning environments, while
additional carparking, admin, and a truck dock
were introduced downstairs.
“We celebrated the good bones of the structure
wherever possible – for example, the steel portals
were exposed and put to new use as the supports
for the glass awnings that protect the outdoor
eating environment to the side of the building.
This public, semi-enclosed plaza provides an airy,
relaxed break-out space for the lecture theatres.”
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While the repurposed warehouse encloses the
plaza from one side, EMA’s new four-level head
office building forms the gateway into the site via a
two-storey void on the left of the structure.
Naturally, with a bustling head office it’s all about
the people and, as EMA’s manager of corporate &
building services Sheree Alcock explains, the staff
were ready for change.
“We had come from a more traditional office
environment with all its negatives of cramped,
enclosed office spaces, limited natural light and
high energy air conditioning,” says Alcock.
EMA’s new head office environment couldn’t be
more different than their old workspaces – shaped
to an extent by the architecture of the new building.
Project architect Kerry Avery says the new build-
ing makes a feature of the stairs, set as they are in
prominence at the front corner of the building.
“Having a prominent circulation stair encourages
its use, to the health benefits of staff. However, this
was only one advantage of this design feature.
“Having an external circulation stair and walkways,
Below:EMA’s reception is located
on the ground floor of its modern
new head office building.
Facing page:In a building that
prizes natural light and views,
even the internal privacy walls
have a transparent quality.
Facing page lower:The louvre
mesh is almost invisible when
viewed from the office interiors.
Shown here is the CEO’s office.