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Welcome to what we trust will be another year of great
projects and successful endeavours for all our clients.
New ice age for Wellington
The Wadestown Kitchen
Looking OUT... looking BACK... looking GOOD
The work at our studio continues to be a balance of larger
commercial developments which utilise the extensive commercial
experience of the company, and residential architecture
where understanding personal preferences and attention to
detail is paramount.
Overlaying all our work is a commitment to sustainable
design and to efficient, elegant solutions delivered ahead
of time. As energy prices rise and budgets tighten, the
future-proofing value in exploiting natural energy in our
buildings strikes a resonant chord with many families and
businesses. Guided by Aonui, your project may seem ahead
of its time today but will be perfectly attuned to tomorrow’s
environment.
New ice age for Wellington
Global warming may be in progress but one
site in Wellington will see permanent ice from winter 2006
onwards. Aonui client Wellington Indoor Sports — operator
of year- round netball, soccer and cricket indoor leagues
throughout the city — has won the Wellington City
Council tender to build and manage the first purpose-designed
ice rink in the Capital. Complementing the International
Ice Hockey Federation sized rink is a 20-lane 10-pin bowling
alley, café, pro shop, and function rooms.
This Hutchison Road, Newtown attraction, to
be known as “Fire and Ice”, will be a magnet
for winter sportspeople, recreational skaters, league bowlers,
family groups, as well as providing a major new attraction
in the teenage entertainment market in Wellington.
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In the interests of energy efficiency,
the heat extracted from the ice is being used to heat
air and slabs elsewhere in the building. Rainwater will
supply the cooling tower and toilets. The bowling alley
and concourse will be naturally ventilated for most
of the year in a system first developed by technology
partner Solarhomes Ltd at the Bluebridge Ferry terminal.
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Additional sustainable potential lies in the north facing
roof of Fire and Ice which may one day accommodate 4000m²
photovoltaic cell arrays generating 300kW — enough power
to maintain the ice sheet in summer.
Documentation
is proceeding rapidly ahead of a 12 month construction programme
and an opening planned for late 2006.
The Wadestown Kitchen
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Our village centre will soon have its
first cafe in the converted former Wadestown Pharmacy.
Locals who have been forced until now to go out of the
suburb for good coffee and baking applaud the initiative
of professional chef and former wadestown resident Andrea
Holmes.
Aonui Architecture has designed the
changes which will redecorate the charming shop front
whilst providing a new kitchen, courtyard entrance
and disabled persons facilities. |
The courtyard is sheltered by an ash tree,
coincidentally one of several planted by Richard in a Residents'
Association street improvement programme 27 years ago. How
is that for forward planning!
The Wadestown Kitchen at 104 Wadestown
Road will open in June with fresh coffee, baked goods, and
prepacked take-home meals.
Note the address – it will become
a regular venue for meeting our friends and clients.
Looking OUT... looking
BACK... looking GOOD
We recently revisited a few house commissions
from the past decade. It is rewarding to see how well the
building sit in their respective landscapes and to hear
comments from clients and new owners. |
