Kate Frear, Woods Bagot Director and Regional Executive Chair – Australia & New Zealand, is delighted to announce the firm will open a studio in Auckland, New Zealand, in the new year.
New Zealand has been an important part of Woods Bagot’s regional pipeline for a decade. As well as significant projects shaping Auckland – including the recently completed PwC Tower at Commercial Bay (pictured above) – our team was on the ground and part of the Blueprint Plan for the recovery of Christchurch central city after the catastrophic earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.
CCC Nearing Completion
The Blueprint identified 17 anchor projects to rebuild the city. Among them, the Te Pae Christchurch Convention & Exhibition Centre designed by Woods Bagot with Warren & Mahoney is a key piece in the city’s rebuild and will complete in mid 2021.
With Te Pae completing and a strong pipeline to return to in Auckland, Ms Frear said the firm will respectfully build on its significant successes.
Commercial Bay Tower
“On projects from Auckland in the north through to Dunedin in the south, our local team has drawn on the expertise within the firm’s global studio network,” said Ms Frear.
“We’ll continue to provide the international experience that the local market has reached out for, with the critical local cultural and design input that makes our work for, and of, its place,” she said.
NZX listed company Kiwi Property is investing in a mixed use office and hotel development at Sylvia Park, Auckland. Development manager Greg Tolley described Woods Bagot as “an important part of the design team working to support Sylvia Park’s evolution to a dynamic mixed-use destination”.
“We enjoy Woods Bagot’s fresh, evidence based thinking and look forward to their presence in the Auckland market,” Mr Tolley said.
Auckland will bring the firm’s number of studios operating globally to 17. An appointment for the role of Woods Bagot’s Auckland studio chair will be announced early in 2021.
Auckland, New Zealand
Christchurch, New Zealand