By the looks of it the balconies are still there, they have just been enclosed with what look like sliding doors/ panels. If thats the case that actually makes the space far more usable. Does change the aesthetic quite a bit though
Let’s face it, when it’s Auckland’s turn a few diagonal braces are not going to save the day anyway.
Perhaps diagonal braces are more like a placebo effect: a marketing tool that subconsciously gives people the impression the building is safer than really is.
^^^I walk past it all the time. It never seems to really look much different. The diagonal bracing detail looks a bit tinny to be honest and why does it change scale halfway up?
Well that's underwhelming. I'm not even sure what the point of the lattice is, aside from a dinky feature. The lack of exposed balconies really does diminish it. And the resolution of the latticework at the top... clumsy.
The International has been completed but the books have not been closed. The developer Gary Groves put his company Sanctuary Group into voluntary administration last year. In March this year the liquidators estimated creditors were owed $69.9 million.
The International was a $250 million project which transformed the 14-level Fonterra headquarters into a 17-level luxury apartment building. The facades belong to the Grand Hotel (1889) and the Freemasons' Hall (1890). The hotel closed in 1966 and became the Grand Building containing offices. The Grand Building was demolished in 1988.
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