A group of concerned citizens is joining a court action to try to make changes to AMP's triangular, blue-green glass skyscraper being built on the Auckland waterfront.
The Society for the Protection of Auckland City and Waterfront is not opposed to the development but is keen to see the building redesigned at street level with cafes and shops to make it pedestrian-friendly.
A spokeswoman, architect Amanda Reynolds, said the building was designed with big, windswept open spaces.
"It is going to be deeply unpleasant. It's a really important site and it's really important the public interaction aspects of it are done well.
"What we need is a retail edge hard up to the street with good verandas that provide, for instance, the cafe that was on the site and is now gone. That was a brilliant use for that corner: right opposite the water, sunny and protected."
AMP's manager of development projects, Paul Phillips, has rejected criticism of the building's design at pedestrian level, saying plans to extend the existing Quay Tower plaza to the new building would be an active and attractive public amenity.
Even though work has started on the $171 million tower, Amanda Reynolds said it was not too late to make design changes.
The society has filed court papers seeking permission to make its own submissions when property developer Andrew Krukziener challenges a decision by the Auckland City Council to allow AMP to go eight storeys higher than the rule book allows.
The case will be heard in the High Court early next month.
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