The Customhouse
Studio Pacific's new design at Centreport's Harbour Quays office park, bounded on one side by an active railway line, makes the most of the unusual triangular island site to gain excellent natural light to all sides and to maximise the sea views. The new office building to house Customs New Zealand features dramatically triangulated precast façade panels, taking their design cue from the barriers that are used in the Port Area. Double glazing runs horizontally in strips between the dynamic shapes of the concrete spandrels. On the west façade, heavy exposure to the setting sun has been treated with striking tall metal sunshades which unfold along the curved façade, viewed from Jervois Quay.
The double height base to the building is treated as a single volume, with the lower level glazing to the ground and first floors also partially wrapped in a timber rainscreen, bringing warmth and human scale to the base of the building. A two storey ‘nose' to the building, also clad in timber, features a separate retail tenancy on the ground floor, while a planted garden area above provides amenity for Customs staff. The plantroom at the top of the building is treated to read as stacked shipping containers, echoing the surrounding maritime activities.
The building relates to existing buildings in the immediate area to create an urban square (to be completed later) and adds to the office park facilities at Harbour Quays.
The new Customhouse has achieved a NZGBC 5 Green Star NZ - Office Design V1 Certified Rating which represents New Zealand Excellence.
Client: CentrePort
