Auckland City vision a transport of delights

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Imagine, in busy downtown Auckland, being in an eerie forest with clouds of mist, singing tuis and crashing waves. Then, at night, the forest comes alive to the happy babble of kindergarten children.

This forest, though, is made of sound, not trees, and is part of the winning design for the new Britomart transport terminal and Queen Elizabeth Square redevelopment.

The "sound forest," consisting of about 140 pillars 3m high emitting light, mist and echoing noises, is one of three garden-like areas planned to transform the waterfront square from a grey, windswept cityscape into a colourful meeting place.

Also envisaged is a pine or kauri forest outside the Downtown Shopping Centre and a grove of nikau palms opposite the Number 1 Queen St office tower.

Mario Madayag, the Californian architect selected from seven finalists to design the $194 million Britomart rail, ferry and bus centre, said he was moved by a sound forest on the site at Sydney Museum where there was once a real forest.

Mr Madayag said the pillars would create a protective space in the square between a bus and light-rail stop on the western side, and a new road. The four-lane road, an extension of Queen St from Customs St East to Quay St, would be used as a drop-off and pick-up place for the transport hub.

He is working with Auckland architects Jasmax, and leading American landscape architects Peter Walker and Partners.

He and Greg Boyden, of Jasmax, believe the key to their winning design was opening the old Chief Post Office for the public. Not only will the CPO be the entrance to an underground railway station, it will give access to an underground concourse and a moving walkway to the Ferry Building and Queen St.

On the western side of Queen Elizabeth Square, the concourse will open out at the pine or kauri forest.

Mr Boyden said the upper floors of the CPO could be used by the Auckland Museum and Auckland Art Gallery in keeping with the theme of making the space as open to the public as possible.

Behind the post office, the architects aim to create an urban village with a bohemian atmosphere like High St and Vulcan Lane. Many of the 19 historic buildings in the 3.5ha Britomart precinct will be retained and a number of development sites made available for mostly low-rise retail, office and apartment blocks.

Running back from the post office towards Britomart Place will be a pedestrian street with a market square and round pond. A glass column will run from the pond down into one of several "volcanic cones" between the underground rail platforms. Open cones at ground level will provide natural light for the underground train station.

Commerce and Gore Sts will be paved, lined with trees and turned into funky lanes. On Quay St, two rows of phoenix palms are planned for the wharf side and along the median strip, but Mr Madayag denies this had anything to do with his Los Angeles background.

"Once they are planted, people will love them."

Today, the architects will sit down with the council for the first time to discuss their design. Until now they have submitted their ideas only through the design competition.

Mr Boyden said changes would inevitably be made, but he hoped the basic ideas would stay the same..

The council has yet to give final approval, but Mayor Christine Fletcher hopes a start can be made early next year.

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