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REFURBISHMENTS | Upgrades + Makeovers

237K views 1K replies 106 participants last post by  OrangeKiwi 
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#1 ·
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.





 
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#2 ·
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.
 
#3 ·
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.
 
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#5 ·
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.
 
#6 ·
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. :)
 
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#8 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
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.
 
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#26 ·
Just came back from tramping down Queen Street and I have good news - the last eye-sore along Queen Street is finally receiving a revamp i.e. where the $2 shop was and where the Asian Food Hall was ..... my prayers have been answered ;)

Queen Street is looking FANNY-TASTIC !
 
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#32 ·
From $2 shop to Gucci?
NBR

Luxury end retailers Louis Vuitton and Gucci may be in line to set up shop in Auckland's lower Queen St on a site which has until recently been occupied by a $2 Shop, Ma Higgins cookie store and an Asian food court. The stores were vacated several weeks ago, in preparation for a massive renovation of the Imperial Building and an adjoining building by owner AMP Capital. AMP Capital development manager Michael Sweetman said the inside would be completely renovated and the original facade would be refurbished. It would also replace the roof and build new canopies.

The company has owned part of the buildings for more than 40 years through AMP Life. In June this year it set up AMP Imperial and transferred the site to the company in preparation for renovation. Mr Sweetman said little had been done to the buildings because of a 40-year leaseback agreement between AMP Life and Woolworths, which only expired last Thursday (August 23). At the same time settlement was agreed for the other part of the Imperial Building, which has been sold as a leasehold interest by the IB Trust. The land underneath it continues to be owned by the St Johns College Trust.

Mr Sweetman confirmed it would introduce luxury retail to the site in the form of two flagship stores but would not name the retailers. "I can't say who is going in there but I can confirm it will be high end luxury retail," he said. "They don't want to talk about it until closer to the time." Louis Vuitton already has a shop in Queen St on the other side of the road but for Gucci this would be its first retail entrance into the New Zealand market. A spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton said it had considered the site but was not prepared to comment on whether the company had made a decision. And a spokeswoman for Gucci's Australian head office said she could neither confirm nor deny whether the group was planning to set up shop in Auckland.

"New Zealand is definitely on our radar but until things are official we can't comment on opening dates or locations," she said. According to Companies Office records the name Gucci New Zealand was registered on July 30, with the only shareholder the Gucci Group. Mr Sweetman said AMP hoped to have the retail outfit ready in time for the shops to open by April next year. The four floors above the retail level will also be renovated, with the first three floors designated for character office space and the top floor apartments. The six apartments will be refurbished and rented out. Mr Sweetman said the firm would begin to look for office tenants from the end of the year. He would not reveal how much the company intended to spend but said it was a "key asset" which the group intended to hang on to.
 
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