Generator - Waring Taylor
Generator uncovers the eclectic charm of its first Wellington location in the former publishing house and auction building.
Generator’s mix of quirky and characterful workspaces has been hugely successful in Auckland - its success owed to its offering flexible workspaces in an energised, creative environment that caters to a growing sector of freelancers who want spaces to work and network.
For its first Wellington site, our client Precinct Properties sought a unique space that connected members to the inner-city location.
The existing 1920s building, a former auction house of renowned Wellington auctioneers Dunbar Sloane on Waring-Taylor Street, required a seismic upgrade to 100 per cent of the New Building Standard – and a repurposing of its previous life.
Our focus for the project was to retain and reuse existing building elements, while adding a narrative that pays homage to the eclectic history of the site, creating a fresh space that acknowledges its history.
A playful palette, evocative of the creative and eclectic nature of Wellington, celebrates the uniqueness of the city, while the stripping back of the interior has revealed the existing character of exposed brick, steelwork and timber floors. The introduction of a new roof has allowed us to add skylights and create a central void opening on the top floor, improving the sightlines throughout the building by connecting the upper workspaces. Four floors of shared workspace sit above a member’s lounge, event space, a suite of meeting rooms and end-of-trip facilities. Situated below street level, the member’s lounge offers views of the central city through high bay windows. A lowered ceiling contributes to a compressed, ambient atmosphere
Generator Waring Taylor was recognised at the 2022 Property Council New Zealand Awards for two Best in Category Awards – Commercial Office Property and Heritage and Adaptive Reuse. The judges said:
“Celebrating the reuse and repurposing of the existing building was the fundamental ambition of the design. Seismically upgraded, the project provides a new-found resilience for the future, touching the building lightly to reveal its inherent historical character.
"Transformed, 30 Waring-Taylor sets a new standard in shared workspace solutions with a targeted 5-Star Greenstar rating and 5-Star NABERSNZ rating. Highlights of the development are the commercial success and delivery to programme despite significant refurbishment challenges.”
