Old Bank Arcade Apartments
Old Bank Arcade Apartments
The building I chose for my final project was the Old bank arcade on 233 - 237 Lambton Quay. The building had a basement below, ground floor and two floors above.
I proposed to leave the existing shops and arcade to maintain the current atmosphere of busy inner city living. I liked the idea of having people shopping and drinking coffee below while living above in their personal space.
My concept for this project was based on a minimalist approach contrasting against the detailed architecture of the building.
As well as using white as a main colour I used softer, more transparent materials to contrast against the solid concrete exterior. These luxury apartments were aimed at professionals, for long or short-term stay.
I divided the floor plan around the biggest apartment that is at the top of the wedge as it offered the best special qualities. The rest of the apartments had been allocated in a grid pattern. All the apartments, apart from the large apartment, had internal stairways to a second floor.
This was to provide an outside view from the bedroom and living areas.
Four apartments had a mezzanine that added another bedroom or study area, creating a six metre void for the living area. The apartments ranged from one bedroom to four bedrooms.
A shared garden area with a glass roof was situated in the darkest corner of the building to create an atrium. This provided a relaxing area for the apartment owners. Balconies were added to those apartments that looked over the atrium to offer an outdoor area as well as to add light. Skylights were positioned above the inner bedrooms which provided light and ventilation.
The scheme followed some traits of minimalism. However, through the use of textures and varying materialities, the depth of spaces was enhanced. All the doors throughout the building were sliding doors, taken from Japanese minimalism and has been used to keep the spaces uncluttered and clean lined.
My objective in this project was to create an elegant, open-plan living space for upper class business men/women and their families.