Buchan Brightens Westgate Town Centre

MEDIA RELEASE

7 October 2014

Buchan Brightens Westgate Town Centre

Development of New Zealand's largest planned urban, business and retail facility Westgate is on track for completion in October 2015 and is set to transform Auckland’s North West region into a dedicated retail and lifestyle destination.

The development aims to meet the demands of the fast-growing west Auckland area and its surrounding communities, creating a total development of up to 56ha when fully realised, alongside an extensive network of parks and walkways spanning over a further 6ha. This includes 11 Zones of retail and commercial activity ranging from the town centre, bulky retail and trade based zones.

Australasian firm The Buchan Group has had an involvement with the development for more than six years, working with New Zealand Retail Property Group (NZRPG) through the master planning, concept and preliminary phases of the overall comprehensive master plan.

Subsequent to Auckland Council’s direct investment in the Town Centre through the acquisition of the Square and Library sites, The Buchan Group liaised with the Council’s appointed design team to ensure that the key retail and commercial aspects of the concept were carried through to the developed design.

Following the work with NZRPG, The Buchan Group was retained by DNZ Property Fund Limited to provide architectural design and delivery as well as graphic, branding and signage design for the zone five site acquired by DNZ.

The Buchan Group has been contracted to expand on these initial design efforts within this mixed-use and core retail precinct and design the internal and external components of the DNZ land parcel with a total development cost in the order of $155 million.

To date, 70 per cent of the DNZ development at Westgate has been leased, which incorporates a Town Centre surrounding a central Square with an additional internalised retail component.

The Buchan Group Principal David Thornton said the new centre and surrounding facilities had been designed to serve the burgeoning North West community, and would benefit the entire Auckland region.

“Westgate Town Centre provides a unique opportunity like no other within Australasia at this time to provide a master planned, integrated town centre, based on traditional urban design principles and typologies,” he said.

“The layout and design of the town square’s large civic space including the slow speed shared zone will give the general public maximum use for community events.

“Rather than applying a token overlay onto a retail mall development, Westgate strives to establish a true heart to the regional town centre. Real streets charged with the life that retail energy provides and complete with civic uses that complement the commercial aspects - the basis on which all town centres are formed.”

“Architecturally, this allows a diversity of form and aesthetic for the fabric of the development. It allows the centre to thrive, develop and mature through the progression of time, nurtured by the economic, civic and cultural evolution of the urban environment.”

The open layout of Westgate’s street-based retail, commercial and dining areas are designed to populate and activate the new Town Square and Main Street precinct, bringing together the best of both internal and street based retailing environments.

Upon completion, the greater development will feature specialty and major retail outlets, business and accommodation facilities divided into three set precincts; a town centre with library, a large format and homemaker retail centre, and a trade-based retail centre.

ENDS.

About The Buchan Group

The Buchan Group is one of Australasia’s most acclaimed architectural, interior and graphic design firms, servicing clients from diverse sectors in Australia, New Zealand, China, South East Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom for more than 120 years.

Led by The Group’s directors and principals, an interdisciplinary design team of more than 300 professionals have created some of the world’s most recognised retail, hotel, residential, educational, health and commercial projects.

The Buchan Group traces its history back to 1890, with the opening of the first practice in Geelong, Victoria. The Brisbane practice was established in 1983, before expanding to the Gold Coast, Sydney, Auckland and Christchurch.

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