New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 30/12 | Page 20

Mitchell equates the building to a 3-D jigsaw
puzzle of interlocking forms, with deep fissures and
skylights designed to bring natural light deep down
into the interior.
“It’s a fairly square site, and subsequently a
square building, but one of the walls on the front
elevation is pushed back from the street to allow
natural light to penetrate the teaching spaces on
the lower levels,” the architect says. “The wall
on the opposite side of the entry curves around
towards the door, so it feeds visitors into the building. Pulling the facade back from the street, and
introducing the curved wall was also a way to give
the building a sculptural form.”

The gallery is the same height as the heritage
building, and features a similar band across the top
of the flat-roofed street elevation.
Mitchell says the choice of cladding was long
debated, and resource consent was gained for the
use of green, pre-patinated copper, which has a
lifespan of 200 years.
“However, cost considerations, and a potential
problem with guarantees for the aluminium joinery
that would have abutted the copper meant we
needed to look for a different, but similar alternative. We chose pre-painted aluminium folded in
the traditional European manner. It has a tile-like
look with a stippled, textural finish. This was never

Below left and right:A glazed
curtainwall on the southern
elevation is angled to provide
a sense of drama. The wall
encloses a staff staircase.
Below:Floorplans of the upper
three levels highlight the varying
sizes of the gallery spaces.

Stairs to Lopdell House
roof terrace

GALLERY 4

GALLERY 2

GALLERY 5

below

GALLERY 3

GALLERY 2

SHOP

COATS

ENTRY

RECEPTION

LIFT

GALLERY 1

18

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