Described as the “next generation” of shopping centres, NorthWest Shopping Centre’s NZ$155 million transformation has been completed, creating a new Auckland retail, food and lifestyle destination spanning the equivalent of four football fields.
Designed by Australasian architecture firm The Buchan Group, NorthWest Shopping Centre recently won the 2016-2017 Asia Pacific Property Award for Retail Development and Retail Architecture, New Zealand, and Gold in the NZ Commercial Property Awards. It also received a Merit at the Property Council New Zealand Property Industry Awards 2016.
The centre forms the heart of the new Westgate Town Centre, an integral part of the broader Westgate development.
Covering 35,035m2, it features nearly 100 retail stores, a contemporary food court seating around 500 people as well as carefully landscaped public spaces.
The Buchan Group principal David Thornton says NorthWest delivered key elements of the client brief while providing a unique customer experience enhanced by its dynamic design and use of high quality details and surface finishes in a retail environment.
“The centre’s interior design reflects a strong sense of place, embracing the rich tones of the black sand beaches of the nearby rugged West Coast, leafy surrounding vineyards and variety of colourful fruit farms and market gardens surrounding,” he says.
“For example, tiling layouts reflect the shapes and colours of sand washed up on the wild beaches, and a timber feature ceiling mimics the light tones and repetitive nature of a wine barrel. Even the perforated metal screens in the food court create a dappled light effect similar to that seen under the shady pergolas of a winery.
“Northwest integrates various common area spaces, public amenities and respite areas with honest and timeless materials familiar to the locale, such as concrete, steel and timber, in an innovative and modern interpretation offering a crisp and engaging environment.
“Drawing on The Buchan Group’s international retail design experience, we were able to introduce recent international design trends to New Zealand, including future proofing NorthWest with the ability to accommodate to future retail demand. Also, catering for the customer, this centre has the largest caregiver’s room in New Zealand which is an important amenity for customers in the region.”
Sustainability was encouraged and provided for in the design, including careful placement, sizing and orientation of windows to control solar gain – including clerestory windows flooding natural light along the length of the mall – long-life LED lighting with sensors, high efficiency heat pumps for cooling, and high efficiency closed loops cooling towers.
Outside, dynamic building façades define street frontages and flank the main entry to the mall. The traditional ‘Main Street’ retail component is integrated with the internal retail model, complementing one another to provide a new, exciting, cohesive shopping experience.
