QUAY STREET

Lush green landscaping sections of quay street in Auckland being enjoyed by a cyclist and pedestrians

About

An immersive, emergent, dynamic and memorable waterfront street that amplifies the overlapping ecologies of nature, city, economy and culture at the intersection of ‘Tāmaki’ (city) and the ‘Waitematā’ (sea). An innovative, sustainable and adaptable street that reveals its past, provides a catalyst for it’s future and seeds a new dynamic waterfront destination for Tāmaki Makaurau.

The conceptual design generators for Quay Street are informed and influenced by the sites underlying geology, cultural history and layers of landscape, city, economy and culture. A flexible surface for urban/waterfront life and strategic activation through the weaving, folding and layering of spaces and materials. Conceived as a layered spatial and graphically field that. The field is non-directional, and – like a tukutuku pattern – tells a story of the site/place that is informed by its landscape, urban and cultural context. This ‘field’ as continuous, multiple, and dynamic layers contribute to the multi-levels of people.

A shared and adaptable urban surface capable of supporting new enabling infrastructure, overland flows, low impact design, enhanced ecology/biodiversity, the movement of people, cyclists, cars and public transport and support human activity and occupation from the everyday to the event. Choreographed non-linear, programming and strategic activation provide for spatial variation, same v different and open v enclosed.

  • Pedestrian space enhanced from 40 to 70 %

  • Vehicle space reduced from 60 to 30 %

  • Vehicle Lanes reduced from 6 to 2 x lanes

  • Traffic volume reduced from 1600 to 800vph

A new emergent coastal/urban ecology that establishes an Immersive, high performance, ecological landscape corridor that connects east-west across the city centre waterfront, socially vital and ecologically rich. (Re)Connects Wynyard Quarter to Tāmaki Drive (east-west) and city to the sea (north-south). Showcasing native vegetation. Exceeds ecological/stormwater treatment standards. Demonstrates best practice with site-specific innovation. Reinforcing the Mauri ‘life force’ of the waterfront.

A cycle path on Quay Street, Auckland surrounded by lush green plants and trees
Young women sat and a third on a bicycle having a conversation in the street
An aerial shot of a bicycle lane and bicycle rack on Quay Street in Auckland, NZ
Two men having a conversation across the road from the Harbourside restaurant in Auckland
People, sitting, chatting and walking down Quay Street in Auckland in the daytime
Cyclists riding along Quay Street in Auckland on a designated cycle track

Details

2018 - 2022

Date

Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Location

Auckland Transport + Auckland Council

Client

Budget

$65M

Collaborators

Aurecon (Civil Engineering)

E3BW (Lighting)

Flow Transportation (Transport)

Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau

Kahui Kaiarataki

Rueben Kirkwood, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki (Artist)

Ted Ngataki, Ngāti Tamaoho (Artist)

Maaka Potini, Ngāti Tamaoho (Artist)

Richelle Kahui-McConnell, Ngati Maniapoto (Ecologist)

Awards

NZILA Civic + Urban Spaces Award (2022)

Previous

Tauranga Moana Waterfront
Next

Sirius Waterfront