Colour makes this space

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Athfield Architects’ design for Waterfront House in Lyttelton wraps colours of shipping containers into a winning workspace in the 2019 Resene Total Colour Awards

The brief called for Lyttelton Port’s new headquarters to bring together administration and port staff, creating a collegial workspace for the whole company. The new building replaces the previous headquarters damaged, and demolished following the Canterbury earthquakes, and a container terminal building deemed no longer fit for purpose.

An important part of the design was use of materials that evoke the wharf environment – robust finishes such as concrete, steel and reclaimed timber create a unique character and resilience within the building to house the 500 plus port staff.

External metal cladding takes its colour and detailing from shipping containers, while the exposed interior steel structure references cranes in the port, and is painted Resene Fahrenheit (a deep red) – also connecting with the colour of containers. The interior palette also references the tones of the surrounding Port Hills. Walls and ceilings are in Resene Wan White – an umber white – with interior doors in hard-wearing Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss in Resene Double Foundry – a hot charcoal.

Timber feature ceilings and linings are enhanced and protected with Resene Aquaclear waterborne urethane. Feature meeting pods and exposed plywood and timber battens are finished in Resene Colorwood wood stain in Resene Totem Pole, Resene Pickled Bluewood and Resene Kumera.

This project won the 2019 Resene Total Colour Nightingale Award and the Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Office Award.

The judges said: “ The colour palette is fitting; it feels unforced and subtle, yet it is beautifully detailed and befitting of the local environment. Colour makes this space.”

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