Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 6 New Zealand | Page 47

View from the top
This glass-walled, semi industrial-themed apartment pays a nod to its site’s
origins while making the most of its inner-city outlooks at every turn
For a major renovation, or in this case major
addition and transformation, the bones of the
existing structure can have a dramatic impact
on all design choices, even down to the flooring.
This eyrie-like residence by LSA Architects
is essentially a brand new two-storey apartment
nestled atop an existing steel-framed warehouse. Linda Simons, principal architect at LSA
Architects, led the upmarket, inner-city project.
“The brief was for a sleek, minimalist design
to match the urban setting of this warehouse
redevelopment,” says Simons. One of the key
elements of the design was to draw on the city

views and create a sense of space on what was a
rather narrow allotment.”
As part of the wider project, Simons also
modernised and refurbished the commercial
spaces on the lower floors which had previously had an intermediary life as a recording
studio. However, it was the good bones of the
warehouse which allowed LSA to create such an
open feel in the apartment above.
“Because the warehouse was framed in
structural steel we were able to simply extend
this framing upwards to support the new floors.
The strong steel structure meant we could create

Previous pages: This long, narrow
apartment rises above its industrial
setting like an eagle’s eyrie. It was
designed as part of a whole-building
revamp by LSA Architects.
Facing page: A tough high pressure
commercial grade laminate with
the look of Corten steel provides a
graffiti-proof frontage to the building.
Above: A large artwork, with tv
behind, and gas fire draw the eye in
the living area of the apartment.

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