20
telling some of their stories and
also bringing young people into
the picture,” Males said.
A row of car parks has been
replaced with greenery, seating
and a key architectural element,
the Porirua Kiosk. The kiosk acts
as a beacon in the legibility of the
space and in the regeneration of
the CBD says Isthmus director,
Andre de Graaf.
Clear sight lines were needed to
let people know where the heart of
the city lay.
“A key issue with Porirua has
been that when you drive in, it’s
very hard to know where the centre is,” Males said. “The kiosk is a
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
bit of a landmark. The green space
we have created clears out visual
connections back to Hagley Street
— the main street — so drivers can
see the activity in the centre. The
kiosk is also visible down Serlby
Place. We are also looking at
getting a much better connection down to Porirua [Kenepuru]
Stream. As you drive around, there
are points from which you get a
view into Cobham Court — into the
centre, which has been degraded
over the years.”
The kiosk, designed by architect
Alistair Luke, won the NZIA Small
Project Architecture award in the
local Wellington awards in May. It
replaces and relocates public toilets, whose location between the
bus stops and a bar had attracted
loitering and criminal activity.
“The kiosk signals what is possible for the area,” de Graaf said.
A functional building, with toilets
on one side and two food outlets
on the other, the kiosk combines
robust materials — steel and hardwood timber (cedar and jarrah)
— with visual warmth and softness, helping to create an inviting,
friendly space. The structural
elements are partially exposed,
lending “an honesty of expression.”
Abstract patterns in timber and
on the glass canopy cast shadows