TVNZ Television Network Centre Refurbishment

A highly visible news-hub within the building as a key component at the heart of the organisation both physically and metaphorically. The remodeled floor plates were structured to create bridges and walkways over the head of the new room floor enabling staff and visitors to engage with this part of the business without disrupting it. The newsroom is designed as a hub-and-spoke system originally pioneered by the BBC. It is a physical manifestation of the how journalism flows in and out of the editing desk. The various departments are set along each spoke and the editors located at the centre within the digital hub. All staff have 'sit to stand' workstations.

Activating the atrium provides more connectivity between floors both vertically and horizontally, while engaging employees and visitors with the spirit of media. The atrium links the east and west buildings, a space which provides connectivity to the newsroom through a series of bridges, galleries and voids, without interrupting or compromising operations. The design is evocative of a 'media city in the sky'. Inspiration came from a benchmark image from the science fiction cult classic Blade Runner - resulting in the use of dark tones, neon, concrete, vivid colour and digital media. Signage within the atrium acknowledges the age of analogue broadcasting and the original 'bubble' lift was kept and refurbished.

A vibrant cafe was positioned near the front door, a move that amplifies the buzz and dynamism from the outset. Local artists were commissioned to create large murals which lend more vibrancy and visual interest to the industrial-style volume. A work by Flox incorporates native birds - a reference to the way TVNZ names their meeting rooms. Artists Andrew Steele and Greg Straight have added to the urban narrative with bespoke artwork that tells a distinctly New Zealand story. Warren and Mahoney collaborated with TVNZ Blacksand to create the environmental graphics which captured the spirit of 'movie titles' such as the original Superman credits.

With exception to the studios and Media Centre all other broadcast facilities were upgraded to digital standard, as were the supporting components. The new editing and audio production facilities are second only to WETA workshop in production capability. The green rooms and dressing rooms were redesigned and a new salon and digital media test area with multiple open video conference settings enables TVNZ to collaborate with their NZ-wide locations. The building is designed to be fully accessible, enabling upgrades to the ever-changing network and broadcast cabling. The exposed ceilings were not a cosmetic decision; the necessity to access the vast cabling infrastructure was a future proofing measure.

TVNZ had occupied the building in cellular office arrangement for the past 25 years, so a move to open plan working was quite a radical shift in mind set, as was the transition from being a national broadcaster to a digitally driven agency. The strategic vision therefore centred on the creation of an 'Open and Live' environment - a concept which would ensure operations were visibly connected throughout and that 'content' was integrated and celebrated within the building. The original building was also designed by Warren and Mahoney in 1985. A commercial 'atrium', it pioneered the 'campus' style layout now prevalent in workplace design practice.