CASE STUDY: Ōtāhuhu Interchange
A rail-bus station that celebrates our origins.
CUSTOMER: Auckland Transport
PROJECT: Building Façade Panels
Auckland Transport’s new, fully-integrated Ōtāhuhu bus-train station offers commuters more frequent services and much improved connections between bus and rail.
The $28m facility links the rail platform with two new bus platforms and a terminal building, via an elevated concourse.
Particularly distinctive for its graphic façade and architecture, the building’s designed to reflect local and historical narratives – specifically the site’s importance to local mana whenua as a historic portage site for waka.
In fact, three narratives were incorporated into the design: navigation, the portage of waka – and maunga. While this resulted in the integration of iwi art and design throughout the station site, it’s especially well-presented in the building’s outer concrete panels.
Jackson Industries machined the moulds for incorporating the art and designs into the panels. The façade comprises a series of patterned panels – two outer sections with an alternating middle panel. Each panel measures 6.3m by 3.76m. In total, seven panels were cast.
Because the client wanted a high-quality surface finish with crisp detail, the formwork was CNC-machined from laminated sheets of high-grade form ply, with false rebates running vertically. The interchangeable centre sections carry a “mountainous” relief.
The station picked up an Award of Excellence in the Te Karanga o te Tui category, at the 2017 New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Awards.
Judges said the design team weaved together multiple cultural and historic narratives, all while navigating a raft of complicated technical planning issues required for the site.
Press for this incredible project:
NZ Herald: “Otahuhu Station wins prestigious prize” 19 April 2017
Architecture Now Magazine : “Sense of place: Ōtāhuhu Train Station” 23 May 2017