Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Exterior Photography, FacadeCommercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography, StairsCommercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior PhotographyCommercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior PhotographyCommercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - More Images+ 17

Auckland, New Zealand
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Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography, Facade
© Sam Hartnett

Text description provided by the architects. Turning the traditional idea of the ‘shopping mall’ inside out, Commercial Bay presents a new model for the retail typology: an open-air, laneway-based retail environment configured over three levels. The project embodies a spirit of generosity, creating two entirely new pedestrian routes through the city block, connecting transit nodes, and enhancing the pedestrian experience of the city center.

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Image 17 of 22
Site Plan

At the scale of the city, Commercial Bay seeks to build on Auckland’s emergent ‘sense of self as a laneway city – creating a globally unique laneway-based retail center that is the antithesis of the traditional inwardly focussed shopping mall. We wanted to create an open, connected, threshold-free environment where all felt welcome – turning the idea of the mall inside out.

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Simon Devitt
Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs
© Barry Tobin
Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Image 18 of 22
Plan - Ground Floor

This finds form physically in the design of a series of 6 individual buildings - rather than a homogenous podium - separated by lanes and the covered but open air environment; but also in the retail mix where we prioritized the experience of bringing people together with food and beverage over a traditional retail anchor.

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography
© Sam Hartnett
Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Barry Tobin

The design interprets the interior of the project as an extension of the external architecture - working with the existing street levels to create ‘multiple ground planes’ and deliberately blurring the lines between inside and out. The project delivers a simple and legible primary internal circulation sequence orientated by lanes, enabling a sense of urban ‘discovery’ with surprising ‘found’ spaces located within the building. We sought an outcome that was deliberately urban in its materiality – raw and tactile. We utilized a restricted palette of high-quality materials – stone, steel, concrete, and glass contrasted with gold aluminum highlights. Conceptually, we sought to create a series of related but individual ‘buildings’ each with its own identity.

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs
© Barry Tobin
Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Image 19 of 22
Perspective Sketch
Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs
© Sam Hartnett

The external materiality wraps into the lanes, reinforcing the idea of the central lane bisecting city buildings. External lighting quality creates depth, shadow, and texture; planting is extensively integrated throughout. The result is a high-quality civic experience that acts as a consistent ‘frame’ for the individual design expression of the operators within.

Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs
© Simon Devitt

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Project location

Address:Auckland, New Zealand

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Cite: "Commercial Bay Retail Precinct / Warren & Mahoney + NH Architecture" 30 Jul 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/986085/commercial-bay-retail-precinct-warren-and-mahoney-plus-nh-architecture> ISSN 0719-8884

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