Auckland Warehouse Loft

This conversion was all about keeping the character of the existing ex-rubber factory, while creating internal loft spaces filled with light and air. The two ends of the building were gutted and opened up to the street and the alley. Long vistas across an inner-city bush lead to the harbour. This view was maximised by hanging a new deck the width of the building across the air space of a neighbouring alleyway. The bathroom and guest room are built into a white cube under the trusses. Both ends of the apartment are living, as the owners follow the sun from east to west. The sleeping space is partitioned by a tall curtain allowing total flexibility of the spaces. Cross ventilation was aided by refurbishing the existing steel joinery so all sash windows opened, building new steel french door joinery from salvaged sections to the new eastern deck. An existing light well now has an open steel mesh deck where a garden flourishes and draws a cool breeze through using the stack effect through the deep floor plan. Light punches through the roof with carefully placed fixed and vented roof lights. This is a hidden sanctuary amid the chaos and grit of Auckland's Uptown. Completed 2008