1223 Gracefield Innovation Hub

The new work-learn campus for International innovation companies offers a unique opportunity to bring together the previously separate facilities and multi-disciplinary expertise into a flexible “integrated campus” combining the full resources of the research and educational facilities with office and production capabilities to generate a synergetic innovation environment.

We intend this centre to be a catalyst for the development of smart high value manufacturing industries in the Hutt Valley (Technology Valley ) and Wellington Region as a whole. Too often bright minds deeply buried within their work domain have limited contact beyond this. For this reason the nature of this building has been developed to encourage interaction in a wide range of ‘between’ spaces. This has been provided by a critical mix of work and play environments to relax, recreate, think, meet, brainstorm and exchange ideas.

The project utilises the following concepts:

• PARALLEL STRIPS: The site is articulated into a workscape or extended work landscape of parallel differentiated strips: – office; atrium/garden; workshop, laboratories; service access; parking; brainstorm orchard garden.
• CROSS LINKS: multiple cross-links create many potentials for synergy between the stips integrating workshops , labs and offices as well as to break down the sense of isolated silos between disciplines and sectors or departments.
• GARDEN ROOM / ATRIUM: is the space between that connects and provides an extended working environment. All circulation to the office building occurs within the Atrium / Garden Room, encouraging open spontaneous interaction between collegues and generate many overlaps between normally separated functions and thus benefit from additional synergies and added value from the range of shared services and facilities for the building.
• CANOPY: series of scalloped gridshell canopies clad in EFTE and photovolaic array’s provides energy and transparent shelter bringing in precious winter sun and excluding extremes of cold winter wind/rain or intense late afternoon summer sun.
• FLEXIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE: A cost effective and quick to assemble layout of repetitive buildings based on prefabricated floorplates braced in both directions by pairs of columns at 3.0m centers which allows a freespan between column pairs of 7.5m east-west, and 11m north south to achieve excellent daylight penetration and dimensions that work well for workshops, labs, offices as well as carparks.