Building 6 followed the construction of Building 5 along Highbrook Drive, and was a challenge to plan to make the best of the outstanding views to the natural landscape, articulate the building along Highbrook Drive and relate to the urban context of Highbrook to its south elevation.

The resulting form has projecting bays out to the north creating suspended space to each tenancy with views north and west to the estuary. Three of these to each level works well to provide this special room to each tenancy when broken into three tenancies, or multiple spaces when a single tenancy.

The 3 towers are twisted towards the north west, reflecting the weather-shaped landscape of Highbrook and following the curve of Highbrook Drive.

Client: Goodman New Zealand

Metrics: 4,305m2 offices

Photography: Simon Devitt

The prominent location at the intersection of Landing Drive and Te Kapua Drive called for a specific design to respond to the extensive existing landscaping and the overall Business Park.

An array of steel fins form a sculptural screen which stands out against the building as a spark of yellow. The colour and movement of the screen are inspired by the surrounding tussock grasses, and gestures deliberately towards the intersection.

The effect is dynamic and vibrant as befits a commercial building, and changes shape and density as you move around it.

The southern office is single storey and directly faces the future runway. The same fins articulate this façade, responding to the landscape while acting to screen the interior and the outdoor terrace, and to frame the entry.

The building plans are designed with efficiency, flexibility, access to daylight and to maintain views out. The warehouse with a moveable inter-tenancy wall provides a long term flexible leasable space.

Metrics: 1,000sqm offices, 10,000sqm warehouse. 5 Greenstar Design Rating

Awards: 2020 Property Council Industrial Property Award – Merit. 2020 NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards Winner – Commercial Architecture. 2020 Resene Colour Award

Photography: Simon Devitt

Rohlig HQ was one of two projects for Auckland Airport built at 13 and 15 Maurice Wilson Avenue, Māāngere. Designed and delivered simultaneous, we used a common detailing strategy to reduce complexity of the design and build process while still allowing for unique front doors for the two different tenants.

Solar shading forms a key part of the design identity, and was designed to maximise operational energy use.

Client: Auckland International Airport Ltd

Metrics: 1,200m2 offices, 12,540m2 warehouse

Photography: Simone Devitt

Awards: 2019 NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards Winner – Commercial Architecture. 2018 Property Council Industrial Property Award Best In Category. 2019 Best Design Awards Bronze

Completed in 2017 these four upmarket apartments are part of the Napier Lane development in Takapuna. Designed to fit thoughtfully with a surrounding residential context, rather than explicitly looking like apartments.

Complex negotiations with council were required to address the challenges of a busy intersection and a site more suited for apartments than stand-alone residential.

Napier Lane is an exercise in maximising site utilisation. The project creates two carefully planned apartments, one above the other. From the street the building appears as two gable forms, with materials choice carefully breaking down the mass and complementing its neighbours.

Client: Bromac Limited

Metrics: 340m2 over two apartments

Awards: 2019 NZIA Dulux Colour Awards – Finalist. 2020 NZIA Auckland Architecture Award Winner – Multi Unit Housing. 2020 Best Design Awards – Finalist

Photography: Simon Devitt

Ra Ora is a Tier 3+ Data Centre accomodating one of the largest Data Halls in the Southern Hemisphere, serving a range of high value and security conscious tenants. The Data Centre accomplishes both high reliability and robustness with a ‘box-in-a-box’ design, whilst also offering great flexibility by being able to revert to a standard warehouse and office layout if required.

The project required intensive collaboration between client, developer, design manager, ourselves, a large range of engineers and builder. It was able to fast tracked whilst engaging with client groups based in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

The building has a number of environmentally sustainable initiatives, including a large cantilevered roof to the office which passively shades the northern facade,  preserving views of the trees the offices overlook.

Client: Highbrook Developments

Metrics: 600m2 Office, 4,640m2 Data Centre

Awards: 2012 Property Council Industrial Property Awards – Winner

Agility is a sophisticated response to a site surrounded on all sides by pedestrian, cycle, and vehicle roads. In response, the facility becomes a pavilion, engaging with its environment on every side. Working closely with the landscape architect, the office building is overlaid with a series of full height blades in colours drawn from the surrounding landscape, which provide passive solar protection to the workspaces and connect with framed views to the landscaped areas outside. This verticality is also extended to the warehouse elevation, relieving its mass and creating a distinct identity to the building while relating to the surrounding groves of trees.

Client: Auckland International Airport Ltd

Metrics: 570m2 offices, 5,040m2 warehouse

Photography: Simon Devitt

Awards: 2017 Property Council Industrial Property Awards – Finalist

JWA collaborated with a fantastic project team to create a strong idea to solve the architectural challenges of the site. We were engaged to design two separate offices and warehouses side by side, both with their own titles.

Like a peacock showing off its feathers to impress beyond it’s actual size, a large plane folds out over the office building and wraps down the front of the building. This provides a recogniseable identity, solar shading to the north, and rain protection to the doors out to the  social areas.

The elevation to the street plays with a layering of glass, hanging structure and louvres, all brought together in the simple gesture.

The building presents as a singular address, not two separate titles, creating a confident street presence.

This 43 unit apartment block is part of a larger mixed use development incorporating a medical centre and retail units beneath the residential spaces.
Shuttered concrete and aluminium sliding screens are varied within a simple palette of materials selected for timelessness, durability, and simplicity of maintenance.

The design succeeds in providing a variety of different residential unit sizes within the site while maintaining excellent amenity, daylight, and outlook to all.
Collaboration and careful market analysis – in collaboration with the developer and real estate agents – was a key success factor.

Client: North Shore Projects

Metrics: 41 apartments totaling 2,900m2, 340m2 retail

Photography: David Straight

This innovative design response to a utilitarian typology breaks away from a conventional approach and exemplifies the standard possible for industrial developments. The departure from anonymity to a distinct identity and character is achieved through a well-thought-out ensemble of standard building components, creatively combined to yield a simple yet highly effective result.

The site is developed around a historic building – the original 19th centure Woollen Mills – retained and repurposed as the anchor of the site. The development brief addresses a need in the local market for small to medium business tenancies, creating a clear and distinct destination and industrial business hub.

The saw-tooth roof recognises the historic context of the site in Onehunga’s industrial heritage, crisply detailed to present an attractive address for tenants, with texture and detail to its street frontage. The design provides individual street frontages to each tenant, creating a diverse mix of individually titled warehouse and offices sizes.

Client: Triumph Capital

Metrics: 4,400m2 offices, 11,700m2 warehouse

Photography: Simon Devitt

Awards: 2021 Property Council Industrial Property Award – Merit. 2023 NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards Winner – Commercial Architecture

A 28 unit terraced house development currently under construction with Phase one (10 units) completed in 2018.

Aimed for the mid-range market, JWA designed three different clusters of houses all with their own personality and language, but all fitting within a single, recognisable village.

Different aspects respond to different context’s around the site; Terrace housing along the mews, tall and sculptural buildings where the site meets town centre apartments and duplex’s where the development fronts to single home suburban sites.

All clusters provide ample family living – generally four generous sized bedrooms and practical living spaces with each home.

The decision to break the site in two from the onset was the innovation of the project. A large retaining wall through the site simplified the level changes and allowed for level building platforms.

Collaborative efforts with the developer ensured a product fit for the market. The concept story reflects a distinctly residential feel of individual homes and street elevations.

Client: Ten Nineteen Developments

Metrics: 28 townhouses totalling 5,250m2

Photography: Simon Devitt