Hokitka Town Entrance Brought To Life
The recently constructed Westland Farm Centre, located at the entrance to Hokitika township, is a great example of the use of standard cladding as a design feature for this prominent site. Here you can see how its creative use for the façade forms part of the architectural design footprint. The building also incorporates enclosed eaves – two concepts that are a positive for metal roof manufacturers’ design standard.
In 2006, Babbage Consultants was contracted by the Westland Co-Operative Dairy Company Limited to design and build a complex comprising 830 m² warehouse block, 400 m² farm retail centre and 170 m² BP service station. The brief was to design the three components as a unified complex that while fulfilling its functional requirements, provided a signature site at a major intersection that fits the local context.
The complex is a high profile project for Hokitika, creating a new gateway at the Northern portal to the town centre. The design proposal had to meet the user expectations, align with BP’s brand guidelines and be of such quality as to play its part in the town urban fabric.
Babbage Consultants designed and implemented the project, providing the architecture, project management, structural, civil and building engineering services. Their design solution maximises the site with the Centre positioned for excellent visibility, access and functionality. The larger element of the complex, the warehouse, is located at the town entrance to reinforce the portal, with the plan tapering off and anchored by the service station canopy to balance the warehouse scale.
The structure of the warehouse is steel, and located on the building exterior in such a manner to reinforce height. The retail centre and BP service station are of similar design language to the warehouse, but on a smaller scale – single storey. Steel portal frames have been used on the exterior, allowing for greater usable floor space within. To assist with aesthetic appeal, tapered cantilever beams and careful design of the diagonal bracing have been employed. Enclosed eaves will counter possible roof lift from strong winds in the area and are a plastic composite Duraclad to prevent rust forming, an important factor when in close proximity to the sea.
Self-supporting cladding has been used for the façade throughout the complex, with three vertical panels per structural bay in contrasting colour. These alternate with translucent cladding at varying heights, providing an overall design feature while the translucent panels allow daylight transmission and energy reduction. All three cladding materials have a horizontal profile to give the building a streamlined look while blending seamlessly with the flashings and roofing.