Innovation by Design – Future House by Fearon Hay Architects

This heritage building in Auckland’s city fringe has undergone a sensitive renovation by Fearon Hay Architects to deliver a hub of research and development spaces for tech and innovation companies, all within an energy efficient, technologically equipped environment.

Recycling through renovation is an important and often overlooked facet of environmentally friendly building practices. For this innovation hub in Auckland’s Parnell, the adaptive re-use of a heritage building, constructed as a wool store in the 1950s, also aligns well with the potential tenants, many of whom are likely to be incubating tech-based solutions to worldwide problems. Interestingly, the building has a history of use by such companies, having become a home for startups in the 1990s and acting as the current headquarters for anchor tenant tech company Outset Ventures. In another earlier iteration, the building was home to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, which means it is equipped with three-phase power, extraction, compressed air and fume hoods, further accommodating its future tech tenants.

Along with the efficiency of the building, the wellbeing of the tenants was paramount in the design, with thermal, acoustic, lighting and visual comfort taken into account, as well as creating connections to the external environment through the dual placement of openings onto the street.

With five levels and an area of 5,000 square metres, the character building’s open spaces and high ceilings offer a structural freedom that suits the out-of-the-box thinking and experimental work to take place. When it came to the renovation, Fearon Hay Architects and developers Phillmore Properties were determined to maintain as much of this existing character as possible while creating a sustainable and energy efficient building within its walls. Doing so meant creating glazed walls to separate spaces within the building, leaving the exterior façade intact. This enables the capture of solar gain, which is absorbed by the thermal mass of the original concrete floors, and a new roof with large north-facing windows adds to this effect.

Along with the efficiency of the building, the wellbeing of the tenants was paramount in the design, with thermal, acoustic, lighting and visual comfort taken into account, as well as creating connections to the external environment through the dual placement of openings onto the street. The resulting hub is sure to become a home to a great number of new discoveries and inventions, at least in part due to this conducive environment.