Customhouse
The Customhouse, in the centre of Auckland’s CBD, is a building of outstanding cultural significance. Built in 1889, Customs House originally housed officers of the armed forces, and later, customs officers.
The developer wanted to completely refurbish and upgrade the building into a modern retail centre.
Careful co-ordination and lateral thinking was required for the redevelopment of this building, which has a Category One rating with the Historic Places Trust.
Our aim was to minimise stress to the existing structure throughout development. The principle of adaptive reuse was followed and a large part of the project involved restoration.
To gain the additional floor space required, a new structure was built inside the existing U-shape and another level was added underneath the roofline. A public vault was also built in the Customhouse basement.
The refurbishment of the building effectively doubled floor space, allowing the building to become the thriving retail centre it is today.