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Stretching across a city block in the heritage-listed Harbour City Centre, HMOA has created three levels of new office space for FNZ's New Zealand headquarters.

With windows only at either end of the building, the 50-metre-wide space is kept open to allow daylight to penetrate. This also encourages interaction between all three floors, creating a more unified workplace.

A dramatic internal stair has been inserted through the centre of the space and natural light is maximised with skylights. The layout also ensures meeting rooms do not block the light.

While continuity has been created between the three levels, each has its own identity. Colour defines each floor and the specially commissioned artworks on the back walls, by local artists Gina KielD Side and Sean Duffel, add a sense of depth to the darkest spaces in the office.

Read more about the project and an interview with HMOA interior designer, Karin Thurston. 

Photos: Andy Spain

Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects Ltd
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About the
Professional

Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects is an NZIA award-winning practice with studios in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland and Tauranga. Established in 1997, our rich portfolio of commercial and residential work demonstrates a strong commitment to creating beautifully-crafted architecture that enhances the lives of those who experience our buildings – both inside and out.

We believe that enduring architecture is a delicate balance of factors – our clients’ needs and aspirations, our professional training and expertise, the history and nature of the site – but also intuition and commonsense. Every design decision, from materials to how the building complements the landscape, matters to us and adds to the experiential qualities of our projects.  

Directors Max Herriot and John Melhuish in Wellington, Duval O'Neill in Christchurch and Matt Pearson in Auckland are committed to the best architectural design practices. HMOA Associate and registered architect Jenny Duck runs the Tauranga studio.

As well as new homes and house renovations, we have experience in the education, recreation, heritage, health and hospitality sectors, office interiors, multi-unit developments, civil projects and master-planning.   

At ArchiPro we recognise and acknowledge the existing, original and ancient connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the lands and waterways across the Australian continent. We pay our respects to the elders past and present. We commit to working together to build a prosperous and inclusive Australia.