Basecorp Development

Typology: Commercial Office Building
Completion: 2023
Location: Hamilton Central
Contractor: Turton Builders

This building on the fringe of the Hamilton CBD asserts itself with a gentle elegance amongst its tough neighbours on a site previously occupied by a lawnmower mechanic’s workshop. The richly tactile surface of the brick and the human activity of the board room beneath offer some soul to a streetscape otherwise dominated by parking and pragmatic fencing. The high level south facing windows acknowledge this heritage with a reference to the sawtooth roof glazing of early industrial buildings and provide soft natural illumination to the interior spaces. While the exterior employs the robust solidity of fired clay to contend with its gritty inner-city context, the interior spaces offer volume, light, and soft warm tones of western hemlock. Office staff who finish their commute along a street devoid of trees are welcomed by an internal courtyard garden which brings morning sunlight into the kitchen and provides a botanical oasis.