Heritage Renovation | Moller Architects | 2003–2004

My first major inner-city historic renovation came while working as an Architectural Graduate with Moller Architects. The project, undertaken for AMP Properties, brought together three historic building components on Queen Street, preparing them for renewed commercial use while retaining their architectural character.

The refurbishment accommodated the retail requirements of Gucci and Louis Vuitton, with my role as designer involving direct liaison with representatives of both fashion houses. I was responsible for developing the exterior design, including historically sympathetic replacement windows and new solid and glazed canopies to Queen Street, restoring a more coherent presence to the street frontage.

An important part of the approach was retaining the building interiors in a stripped-back condition, ready to accommodate future uses rather than committing to a complete internal fit-out.

With Everybody's Building tracing its origins to the 1860s, and its subsequent life as Everybody's Theatre, the Roxy Theatre and part of Woolworths, the project offered a valuable introduction to the complexities and opportunities of working with Auckland's historic commercial architecture. It remains an early project in which I developed a lasting appreciation for the careful renewal of existing buildings and their contribution to the city.