Architecture meets the future through history: 2019 Global Walking Tour's Auckland event concludes successfully

Founded in 1969, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is headquartered in Chicago's Monroe Building. CTBUH is a non-profit organisation focused on tall buildings and the development of future cities, with world-leading professional resources spanning building design, construction and operation.

 

 

Since 2014, the Global Walking Tours have explored various aspects of urban habitat to help make cities better. To celebrate the Council's 50th anniversary and 10th World Congress, this year's tour took the theme “50 Forward | 50 Back”, looking back at architectural history to explore a sustainable future for cities worldwide.

 

On 27 June 2019, CTBUH partnered with Architectus to hold the 2019 CTBUH Auckland Walking Tour, attracting participants from property development, construction, design and media.

 

Frank Xu, President of the New Zealand Chinese Building Association, and Pauline Gao, Chair of MultiMarketing, were also invited to attend.

 

Setting off from 151 Queen Street

 

At 3:30 pm, participants began the 2019 CTBUH Auckland Walking Tour outside SAP. The event included visits, presentations and discussions covering 151 Queen Street, South British Insurance Building, Vero Centre, Seascape, Commercial Bay, and The Pacifica: 6 representative buildings from different periods, spanning the nineteen-20s to the present.

 

During the walk, participants experienced the interaction and integration of tall buildings with urban spaces, while accomplished architects shared the buildings' histories and design concepts.

 

 Architects share the buildings' historical background

 

151Queen Street 

 

The 29-storey bronze-coloured building at 151 Queen Street, on Auckland's main street, was formerly known as the Fay Richwhite Building. It was designed in the mid-nineteen-80s and completed in 1992.

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Its bronze colouring sets it apart from surrounding buildings and reflects the character of its era, while its huge cantilever and suspended glazing system represented technological breakthroughs at the time.

 

South British Insurance Building

 

South British Insurance Building is currently one of Auckland's largest and finest Chicago-style high-rise buildings. It was Auckland's financial centre in the nineteen-20s and has particular significance and value for illustrating changes in commercial architecture from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

 

With its exquisite interior decoration and architectural detailing, the building is listed on the New Zealand Heritage List.

 

South British Insurance Building

 

Built in 1998, Vero Centre is known for its “halo” roof structure. As one of New Zealand's most important office buildings, it occupies a dominant position in Auckland's commercial centre.

 

The building introduced a range of new features, including single-deck lifts, panelised curtain walls, double glazing, large floor plates and a multifunctional street-front lobby, laying the groundwork for functional design in modern commercial developments.

 

Seaspace rendering

 

Currently under construction, Seascape will stand 187 metres tall and become New Zealand's tallest residential building. Located at the intersection of two major urban roads in Auckland's central business district, it has excellent exposure and north-facing harbour views.

 

Featuring a distinctive design of angular glazing and large lattice supports, the 52-storey glass tower is set to become a new Auckland landmark. Comprising an art hotel, apartments, commercial premises and residential amenities, it is currently one of Auckland's most anticipated high-rise buildings.

 

 Seaspace display centre. At 6:30 pm, the Auckland event of the 2019 Global Walking Tour came to a successful close amid the beautiful evening surroundings.

 

 Frank Xu shares his architectural design insights

 

Reflecting on the event, New Zealand Chinese Building Association President Frank Xu said that, as the saying goes, experts see the finer points. The architects and engineers taking part kept asking questions about matters that interested them, including design concepts and background, contract arrangements and construction costs at the time.

 

The evolution of contract arrangements was particularly interesting. At 151 Queen St, completed 30 years ago, the client and architect had no formal contract, only a verbal commitment. At Vero Centre, built 20 years ago, the client and main contractor used only a standard design-and-build contract, with no special additional clauses. At Commercial Bay, currently under construction, the initial contract alone was 10 centimetres thick, with everyone from the developer and main contractor to subcontractors and suppliers involving their own legal teams.

 

Cities are made up of individual high-rises and streets. Every person involved in construction has a responsibility to design and build each building and street well.

 

(Some images sourced online.)