“Placemaking is both a process and a philosophy...it is an exciting re-examination of everyday settings and experiences in our lives.  Placemaking has a strong emphasis on nurturing communities to reclaim their public domain” − Project for Public Places.

Applying the Placemaking principles, Opus Architecture recently completed a small-budget project on Karangahape Road in Auckland. The brief was to revitalise the ageing bus shelters and by doing so, create a vibrant pedestrian link and a public space, capitalising on the local community’s culture, history and aspirations for the future.

The 40-year-old bus shelters and canopies on K’Road bridge over State Highway 1 have undergone a complete makeover in time for Rugby World Cup 2011. K’Road is one of the main roads on the RWC designated walking route to Eden Park.

The proposal called for a new landmark structure that would combine the public transport and pedestrian link design requirements, with the vibrant imagery, creative industries and flamboyant nightlife of K’Road.

A major challenge was to achieve a design solution that could be implemented on a busy bridge over the motorway. The design solution also needed to use the existing bridge’s structural core. The K’Road bridge concept explored the idea of an ‘urban lounge’ using a modular canopy structure, made up of a minimal number of components to provide a visually striking, clean, safe and accessible environment.

In the words of the project architect Cecilia Man: “the elegant steel form of the canopy support is repeated and placed rhythmically to create pockets of semi-enclosed space or ‘pause points’ along the bridge. Outdoor lounge’ notionally takes shape where the steel frames are closer together”.

The three separate bus stops are integrated into the canopy system, articulated by the roof variations along the length of the bridge. The timber-clad seating area on the northern side of the road is skewed at an angle to maximise the harbour view at this point. The asymmetry achieved by the skew and the material change, creates an opportunity for a momentary pause and a chance to appreciate the dramatic urban landscape.

The new lighting, paving, street art and furniture are minimalist and modular to enable ease of maintenance, but meet passenger and pedestrian needs. Subtle changes in the juxtaposition of steel, glass, timber and paving enrich the spatial experience which is ‘light, transparent, clean and functional’ (eyeonauckland.com).

One striking aspect is the tall, inclined lighting sculptures strategically located at the bridge approaches. These sculptural markers feature graphic artwork by Filipe Tohi, a local Tongan sculptor. His work is renowned for multi-layered geometric patterning inspired by the practice of cord-lashing in the pacific culture. Filipe worked with graphic artist Michelle Ardern to transform the intricate patterning into a digital work of art.

The Opus consultant team worked closely with the Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development representatives to resolve the concerns and aspirations of the local community. A robust dialogue was established with the K’Road Business Association early on in the project. This greatly assisted the Opus designers to understand the dynamic challenges of creating a living space that literally hums to the bustling pulse of K’Road.

(Article by Sheerin Samsudeen, a senior urban designer with Opus Architecture, with assistance from the project team of Cecilia Man, Eqo Leung and Stefan Geelen.