MinterEllisonRuddWatts

Prominently situated at the northern end of Wellington’s CBD, on Level 5 of BNZ Place, this location offers striking views across the waterfront, the wider harbour and hills, and CBD landmarks such as the Beehive and the VUW Law School. The unorthodox, lozenge-shaped floor plate with wide bullnose corners necessitated an outward-facing planning response to maximise the views of this waterfrontlocation.

Athfield Architects collaborated with Custance Associates on the project. Custance managed the project and led the selection and procurement of furniture, while Athfield Architects managed the overall design, documentation and detailing, material selections, and siteobservation.

The fit out design utilises a carefully selected palette of crafted natural materials, expressive of MERW’s sustainability ethos and values. The cohesive, warm, and finely textured materials feature colours that complement the Te Whanganui-a-Tara site’s natural boundaries, water, andsky.

Acoustic performance—while maintaining visually connected places to work and enjoy the outlook—was of high importance. Work zones were conceived to facilitate varying degrees of independent and collaborative workstyles.

Te Moana, the Working Lounge, forms the nexus between client-facing engagement and internal team collaboration and social interaction. While visible, it is separated from the main workspace by a full height glazed wall, and these two distinct work areas seamlessly read asone.

Artist-designed wall panels and a bespoke feature ceiling control the room acoustics. Their customised design echoes the colours, rhythms, and lines of the sea and sky experienced across theharbour.