Esprit, Wellington
215 Lambton Quay is a two level retail development at the corner of Gray Street and Lambton Quay on Wellington's ‘golden mile'. The design brief was for a transparent pavilion connected directly to the adjoining ANZ tower block that would offer a high quality and highly visible retail frontage.
The design approach was to clad the building entirely in glass, with a form that draws modulation and rhythm from the existing tower while retaining a sense of distinctness to maximise retail exposure. Large toughened glass panels are neatly suspended from a series of steel fins with no visible transom or mullion, utilising planar glazing spider fittings to achieve a smooth transparent façade. The overall effect from street level is of a continuous ribbon of glass.
The sense of light and transparency is carried through to the interior, with a fully glazed internal lift shaft and cantilevered glass balustrading to the internal stair. The lift car is designed to be visible when travelling between floors, enticing shoppers to the upper level.
Since the project’s completion, the pavilion has been tenanted by global retail brand Esprit. The glazed façade has been utilised as a billboard, with quality super-graphics communicating a highly recognisable identity for the tenant.
Client: Property Asset Management Limited
