Kami
Kami
Project
Commercial
Location
Level 3
125 St Georges Bay Road
Parnell, Auckland
Client
Kami
Value
$300k
Period
3 Months
Consultants
Architects /
T Plus Architects
Honouring the heritage of this 100-year-old building while reimagining the workspace to be fit for the future – which seems to have already arrived – was a real balancing act.
Kami certainly have their vision fixed firmly on the future with their successful startup all about learning through digital classrooms. So when updating and fitting out their workspace in Parnell, the brief was to create space for an open and social work environment and a more connected, collaboration-driven work culture.
Having the workspace active and happening during normal office hours meant the team took the night shift. This could have been an added challenge but with the support of the Kami whānau who ensured the sections needed were cleared off and ready – it was easy to to move in after hours and do the mahi.
Creating a sound studio in the centre of it all was one of the standout aspects of the fit out. A highlight was constructing a top notch acoustic door that can withstand a live work environment ensuring no noise can get in or out. Developing programmes and creating content in situ on any given workday is now as easy as pie.
There’s also something special about working in the innovation space, focused on transforming digital learning yet doing this from a historic building. Holding onto that inherent charm from the century gone by, that’s literally built in, meant working with light and natural materials and a lot of care. This was especially true when restoring the original Matai flooring – where a lot of devoted patching, sanding and re-epoxying went on.
You can also see and feel this careful consideration throughout, in the more contemporary details such as the epic 10 metre long banquet seat, made with birch ply, and a tiered grandstand meeting area, or the stunning curved birch ply reception desks, which were all crafted and installed by the highly skilled team at Haydn & Rollett Joinery.