The Kollective

Project details

Selected as a parcel from the Historic village and discussed with local Iwi, the brief was to design an office space for both the client as well as community groups. Initially intended as an activity based working environment, from the beginning of the project the idea of a co-working space was encouraged to allow flexibility for the constant changing requirements of a workspace. A then uncommon concept in Tauranga that would lead the way for future commercial developments.

In keeping with the vernacular, the site responds to the local context. The barns and sheds in the historic village are reflected through the form and scale of the design. While local railways and truss systems are referenced in the construction.

It was important that the building be accessible for all types of transportation including cars, busses and bikes as well as their electric counterparts. Another important aspect of the brief was that it needed to facilitate other activities on the ‘Village Green’ (front lawn).

The plan needed to be open and flexible and fit 150 workstations. Originally the amenities were located within the main building however after contemplation it was decided to create two parts to the overall design. The amenities were pushed out of the main building creating a new secondary building connected by a central core acting as the main form of circulation. This allowed the main building to be opened up, achieving the desired flexible open workspace while reducing overall costs and breaking up the large mass into shed like forms that responded to the scale of the surrounding architecture. Through this all workers were able to have a view and a connection to the outdoor area.

The design team embraced a holistic environmentally sustainable design (ESD) approach to optimize the building. Special design features include careful selection of low VOC materials and finishes for improved indoor air quality, energy efficient HVAC with computerised central controller, CO2 ventilation controls, energy efficient LED lighting, and natural daylighting with blinds in key areas. It was important that the structure and construction was efficient, and used innovative materials appropriately to design a building with quality finishes both internally and externally.