Tauranga Crossing

Located at Tauriko in Tauranga City’s western growth corridor, Tauranga Crossing is the newest regional shopping centre of over 35,000m². Master-planned to combine an open-air appeal and sense of community, the centre culminates in an uplifting retail experience and unique destination for the Bay of Plenty region.

The architectural design is based on the articulation of individual volumes under an overarching canopy structure enclosing a two-storey ‘Retail Village’. The overall planning is based on two key axes:

• the ‘retail’ axis running east to west connecting the retail tenancies
• the ‘civic’ axis aligned north to south connecting the main entrance with the internal ‘Winter Garden’ and the external landscaped terraces.

The strategy to ‘dissolve’ the boundary between building and landscape, internal and external spaces, is fundamental to the design and is expressed throughout the building, particularly in the spaces along the ‘civic’ axis. It is achieved by the incorporation of large roof lights, continuous clerestories and a dramatic 13m-high glazed curtain wall that combines to create an airy, light-filled experience. The glazing features combine to enhance visual connectivity to the outdoors while providing a play of natural light over the course of the day within the internal Winter Garden and primary circulation areas.

The intersecting ‘retail’ and ‘civic’ axes generates the geometric framework for the diagrid ceiling pattern and large span structure.

At the heart of the complex is the entertainment and leisure precinct, with a variety of informal meeting spaces for the community to dwell and relax. ‘The Fernery’ provides a unique experience, with landscaped, tiered platforms for families to relax and play. Stained timber fencing enhances the ‘back yard’ experience as well as providing acoustic separation from the adjacent highway. Four kinetic sculptures by Phil Price provide visual delight, while representing a fantastical impression of the original flora.

Diverse and large-scale indoor greenery connects visitors between the external Fernery and the two levels of curated, contemporary food and beverage areas, ‘The Garden Eateries’ and ‘The Observatory’. Situated adjacent to these is the new Event Cinema complex with six theatres of over 1,000 seats (fitout designed by Ignite Architects).

A minimal palette of natural materials and finishes complement the simplicity of the overall building form. Colour palettes are limited to natural hues with key finishes, such as timber and porcelain tiles arranged in subtle patterns to provide visual variation throughout the public circulation areas.

With a design emphasis on providing an enhanced airy, light-filled experience, solar gain and glare from natural daylight was controlled by eaves around the high-level clerestory and through high performance insulated glass units for the sections of vertical glazing. Skylights have additional control with a fritted interlayer within the IGU laminated sections.

Throughout the complex, daylight sensors are used to control lighting in response to natural daylight levels, combined with LED lighting and PIR occupancy sensors to reduce overall lighting energy consumption.

A centralised BMS system allows for real time energy consumption monitoring, particularly of the HVAC system. Economiser modes on the HVC allows for free cooling within the building when the outdoor air conditions allow. CO2 sensors are used for outdoor air control, with occupancy sensors controlling heating and cooling for occupied spaces only. Wind lobbies at all entries helps control air movement between the conditioned space and the exterior and insulation well exceeds code requirements.

Precast concrete was chosen for the exterior cladding due to its long service life and low maintenance requirements, as well as providing thermal mass to help regulate internal temperature. Internally, all finishes such as paints and adhesives have low VOC requirements.

As an acknowledgement to the fauna of the area and the sites origins, timber is extensively used throughout the building, with all selections FCC certified.