REFURBISHMENT Thread

[SYDNEY]

EXCELSIOR HOUSE - BRITOMART PRECINCT:

The following building will be refurbished and will become NYC style LOFTS:






Over the next five years we anticipate several building options with residential components will be coming online. The unique apartments at Britomart will all enjoy the wide Britomart precinct benefits. The apartments will form a critical part of the bold, soulful & cool environment that is now coming to fruition.

[SYDNEY]

VICTORIA THEATRE - DEVONPORT:
Discussions continue on future of Victoria Theatre
Friday, 3 August 2007, 9:53 am

North Shore City Council is still talking with a commercial cinema operator about the future use of Victoria Theatre in Devonport. Lighthouse Cinema (Petone) Ltd was one of three tenderers for the heritage building, and proposes to turn Victoria Theatre into an art-house cinema. North Shore City community liaison manager, Lisa Tocker, says the process is a lengthy one to be worked through. “The Historic Places Trust agreed with us about Victoria Theatre’s heritage significance, and consequently gave it a category one designation,” she says.

“But that means each heritage aspect of the building will have to be assessed against Lighthouse Cinema’s proposal, and that is what we are currently doing.” A review of the seismic strengthening of the heritage features of the building against the new category one status is also under way. Because it does not currently have a building warrant of fitness, Victoria Theatre remains closed except for part of the ground floor, which is being used as an overflow band practice space by The Depot. Three groups registered their interest in either leasing or buying the building. All applications were evaluated against set criteria, which included financial strength and sustainability, management and business acumen, heritage and cultural approach and use, and community benefits.

[Davee]

Good to see AKL keeping some of those lovely buildings - looks like the ones we have in the Hight Street Quartre in CHC - they have great character.

[SYDNEY]

The Doc and I have loads of refurbs to post ... now we must find the time

[SYDNEY]

This reminds me ... have any of you ever read the article in the Monocle Magazine (the best magazine ever by the way) that states that small cities (along the lines of Auckland / Wellington / Christchurch) will inevitably become glamour capitals of the world because people are SICK of huge cities and they are looking at "gentrifying" smaller cities ... as a designer, I am seeing the signs in Auckland ..... can't speak of the others but judging from the articles that I read, Wellington and Christchurch are joining the race.

[Davee]

Originally Posted by ENIGMA

This reminds me ... have any of you ever read the article in the Monocle Magazine (the best magazine ever by the way) that states that small cities (along the lines of Auckland / Wellington / Christchurch) will inevitably become glamour capitals of the world because people are SICK of huge cities and they are looking at "gentrifying" smaller cities ... as a designer, I am seeing the signs in Auckland ..... can't speak of the others but judging from the articles that I read, Wellington and Christchurch are joining the race.

I have been reading some stuff about this a while ago - I shall try and find it on the web.

Christchurch is in the plans of wanting to be the best "boutique city" in the Southern Hemisphere. I think the criteria was that you had to be a city under 1 million, but I think there is leyway in that.

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by DavidEugene

I have been reading some stuff about this a while ago - I shall try and find it on the web.

Christchurch is in the plans of wanting to be the best "boutique city" in the Southern Hemisphere. I think the criteria was that you had to be a city under 1 million, but I think there is leyway in that.

Thanks Baby-shoes

[SYDNEY]

Building with colourful past set for revamp



Auckland's former Hewlett-Packard building is set for a facelift. Building owner St Laurence Property and Finance (SLPF) plans to add another floor following a revamp of the inside. The octagonal office block on Quay St was built in 1985. It was originally known as the Ports of Auckland building before Hewlett-Packard moved in and took over naming rights. In 1999 it was refurbished and two floors were added as well as ground floor retail tenancies. The top floor was converted into Auckland's only bar on top of an office tower - the Coast Bar and Lounge.

Designed by expatriate South African architect and interior designer Andre Hodgskin the bar had a free-standing island bar, an 8m fish-tank and 360 degree views. It became a popular hangout for city workers wanting a view of the harbour. But its downfall came when its owner, Philip Sturm, was convicted for drugging and sexually violating men. Sturm was sentenced to nine years in prison in May last year after a retrial. Amid the furore, St Laurence-managed SLPF moved in and bought the building at the end of 2005 for $24.75 million. St Laurence director of assets management John Crone said the top floor had had no tenants since before the purchase.

St Laurence recently applied for resource consent to build another floor on top of the building and is hoping to get non-notified consent from the council. The extra floor would be 1300sq m plus decks, slightly smaller than the current 1400sq m top floor. Mr Crone said construction would start straight away if it was given consent, in which case the existing top floor would become part of the construction site. SLPF has already completed a partial refurbishment on levels four and five. A lobby and lift refurbishment is due to take place this month. The St Laurence naming rights may also soon become a thing of the past. Mr Crone said the trust was in talks with a company to lease 5000sq m of the office site as well as naming rights for the prime waterfront building.

[LX]

Cool. I always liked this building for some reason

[flyin_higher]

lol yea im the same. It just always looked interesting, esp when your a kid lol, like some kind of transformer.

[Kane007]

Actually it really reminded me of a scene from Dr Who, the one with Tom Baker and K9 on some water world, they had some kind of big rig that looked a bit like that.

P.S. also a, I think, a Roger Moore James Bond movey hand something like that style too. Well him or Sean.

[Nicco]

eww..i hate that building...they should demolish it

[LX]

Originally Posted by flyin_higher

lol yea im the same. It just always looked interesting, esp when your a kid lol, like some kind of transformer.

lol yeah esp when your a kid. it looked bigger back then too which was even better!

itd be cool if they did whats on the bottom upside down on the top.. make a kind of sphere.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

A couple of cleans ups going on around the city

[flyin_higher]

Town Hall should look great after the spruce up. They're just cleaning the stonework, but still...should look nice being right on Queen St as it is.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

I need to find the before shot of this - just recently completed in Britomart

[Nicco]

that building is awful cant they just remove it and put a pretty building instead??? lol

[flyin_higher]

Its not that bad. Its better than the one next door lol.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Its a hell of a lot better than what it used to look like!

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Almost finished