New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 34/02C | Page 22

Rebecca Burton as interior design lead.
“Jasmax was commissioned to provide workplace
strategy and interior design for the project,” says
Burton. “We worked closely with Transpower to
bring 700 staff from several different sites together
in one collaborative, agile, connected environment.”
The fit-out has a semi-industrial feel with alu-
minium mesh featuring on the central stair, raw
concrete floors at ground level, and a pared back
choice of finishes generally. This aesthetic worked
particularly well in an environment where ceilings,
walls, floor and corridors had to be reconciled as
the complex build forms were drawn together.
The new reception was one area where Jasmax
worked with exposed beams and a confined area to
create a feature ceiling with a zigzag lighting feature
that acts like a wayfinder in its own right. The geo-
metric feature is one of several touches that play on
the idea of looking up through a power pylon and
seeing the gridwork as a pattern from below. This
element is also echoed on the faceted front of the
reception desk and on the graphic acoustic absorb-
tion panels on the atrium staircase.
However, it’s the six-level atrium that is the star
feature in the interior design, and the fit-out actively
encourages activity across and around it.
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For example, while the main cafe is on the
ground floor, staff kitchens are prominently sited
near the stairs on each floor and so are visible from
both sides of the atrium. These areas are designed
as much for use as casual meeting spaces as they
are for preparing and eating lunch.
Colourful, floor-specific signage, furniture and
carpet patterning contribute to the energy of the
interiors, and these elements can be seen when
looking up or down or across the atrium. The
colour-coded wayfinders add vibrancy and return
a sense of localised space that’s otherwise lost by
the comprehensive move to flexible desking.
“Transpower had actually set a target for the new
building at 20% flexible and 80% fixed but by the
end of the project this had reversed to 80% flexible
and 20% fixed,” says Burton. “ On moving in, 90%
of staff were using unassigned desking.”
The complexities of working within a number
of existing buildings, often armed with only basic
documentation of the structures, might sound
like anyone’s architectural or logistical nightmare.
However, close teamwork between Architecture +,
McKee Fehl Constructors and Jasmax resolved
these issues to create Waikoukou – a modern,
energetic work space for Transpower.
Below:An angular ceiling
treatment, a zigzag wayfinding
light feature and faceted
reception desk front all call to
mind the geometric play of struts
seen when looking straight up
through a power pylon.
Facing page:Aluminium mesh
balustrades on the bridges
spanning the atrium contribute
to the fit-out’s semi-industrial
palette. Chairs, tables, patterned
carpets and wall signs mean you
always know which floor you’re
on, or going to, at a glance.
Following pages The geometric
panels on the atrium stairwell
further the pylon graphic theme
and act as acoustic dampeners
– particularly important given the
stairs’ metal construction and the
open nature of the office spaces.