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Internationally-renowned architecture and interior design practice Plus Architecture is reshaping the Auckland skyline and setting a new benchmark for inner-city luxury living in New Zealand and Asia Pacific with their award winning project- The Pacifica – New Zealand’s tallest residential building.Standing head and shoulders above Auckland’s CBD, The Pacifica is 57 stories and 178 metres high and is designed to complement the city’s skyline, playing a major role in the rise of Auckland’s CBD and a shift to nner-city apartment living. Plus Architecture has set the bar high in mixed-use design with The Pacifica featuring 273 luxury apartments with a further 35-suite boutique hotel, high-end restaurant and café on the horizon.
Inspired by the beauty of Auckland and its backdrop, the building’s unique design complements and enhances the existing skyline. Every element of The Pacifica is inspired by its environment: the twisting totem-like design on the building’s exterior that resembles a traditional Maori Pikorua, symbolising togetherness, the shifting glass façade that mirrors the sparkling waters of the Waitemata Harbour and the archetypal Auckland laneway. As it draws from its surroundings, The Pacifica also gives back, adding glamour and energy to the city, destined to be one of Auckland’s most famous landmarks.
Ian Briggs, Plus Architecture Director and The Pacifica Creative Lead, says achieving a ‘sense of place’ for The Pacifica was incredibly important and was something the Plus Architecture project team of Director Jaimin Atkins and Associate Piers Bowman spent a lot of time on.
“Auckland is a fantastic city with its harbour and laneways. And so, for us, the idea of the harbour and of the laneway network were the two starting points for the unique design. We were able to very naturally extend that through our site, and to represent that laneway experience within the architecture of the base of the tower, before becoming vertical elements within the skyline.”
“It almost became quite a natural experience, rather than, what wacky shape can we make? It was: what naturally grows out of the human-centric experience of the city at street level, and how does that then grow up into the skyline?”
Commencing construction in 2017 with one of New Zealand’s largest construction providers, ICON, Plus Architecture designed The Pacifica for renowned developer Hengyi. It features 273 sky-high luxury apartments, almost all of which offer views across the harbour towards Rangitoto Island, including a ‘super penthouse’ comprising one apartment over two floor plates. The Pacifica features the highest quality amenities, including a heated lap pool, sauna, steam room, spa, gym, media room, residents’ lounge, library and barbeque terrace – offering a true high-end lifestyle in the heart of Auckland. Apartments at the upper levels feature enclosed balconies, named winter gardens, to provide a buffer between the resident and the outside, providing an element similar to a front garden.
Positioned one block further back from the Britomart retail and hospitality precinct, The Pacifica becomes the map pin identifying the district as a new place to live, with a growing base of amenity and entertainment for its residents.
Local Plus Director Jaimin Atkins says, “The Pacifica sets a new standard in inner-city living in both Auckland and New Zealand. It was exciting to be part of building such a strong, bold footprint right at the epicenter of Auckland’s development and enable Plus to cement its presence in New Zealand and grow its local offices.”
The prominent new building received international praise with several award wins across the International Property Awards 2021, NZ Building Industry Awards 2021, Urban Developer Awards 2021 and more. These include:
• 2021 International Property Awards – Asia Pacific Region – Best Apartment / Condominium New Zealand Award Winner
• 2021 International Property Awards – Asia Pacific Region – Best Residential High-Rise Development New Zealand Award Winner
• 2021 NZ Building Industry Awards – Projects over $75M – Finalist
• 2021 Property Council New Zealand Property Industry Awards – Multi Unit Residential Property Award Finalist
• 2021 Urban Developer Awards – Development of the Year – High-Density Residential – Finalist
Plus Architecture have been an established practice in New Zealand for over six years and have completed over eight projects in this time. Following the completion of The Pacifica, Plus Architecture plan to continue pushing the boundaries of what architecture and design can be to deliver a further four projects by the end of 2021.