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Kingsland Fire Station Renovation

Submitted by Bruce Duncan on Wed, 30/09/2020 - 12:15pm

The Kingsland Fire Station occupies a prime location on the ridge overlooking Eden Park in on the Auckland city fringe in Kingsland, Auckland and has a varied past. According to Kingsland Heritage, the brick fire station was built in a Georgian Revival style in 1933 to replace an original timber station with a watch tower that was erected in 1906.

The Fire Station was fully renovated following a fire in 2008 and was recently used as an 18 room boarding house. As the site was not listed as a heritage site, Kingsland firm Context Architects were able to re-imagine the building’s shell and the conversion of the spaces within, into 5 workable apartments.

A major part of the renovation of the shell was the replacement of the terracotta roof with a Steel & Tube Legacy® clad penthouse level apartment. “The project on New North Road is not your typical alteration and addition, but rather a revival of the old and integration of the best of now. The use of a modern, matte steel cladding played an integral role in respectfully treating and maintaining the old fire station’s heritage charm,” says project lead Hew Kenn Chew. 

Steel & Tube Legacy® emulated the look of a traditional standing seam profile with a flat 215mm wide pan and 50mm high rib to create dramatic shadow effects. Unlike traditional standing seam, Legacy® does not require a plywood substrate and so was a cost effective choice of profile. 
Both COLORSTEEL® Matte colours; Tidal Drift® and Flaxpod®, with their micro wrinkling technology, were employed to great effect with a very high standard of detailing emphasizing clean lines and hidden fastening details.

The original, red firehouse doors were also reinstated to further this heritage look. The building was given a fresh paint job in a crisp neutral white, which helps to make the doors and the COLORSTEEL Flaxpod® Matte upper level pop.

This building has seen a long history of uses, but its latest contemporary renovation would likely not have been predicted by those who stayed in the boarding house, or by its former firefighter residents. 

Context Architects
We like to work in real partnerships, with our clients and the industry. Design magic happens when we come together at the beginning of the process and work as a team to solve problems —which is why we like to engage in real partnerships with our clients and the industry from the outset.
 
As an industry, we’ve traditionally worked in relatively siloed and often combative ways —but that’s counterproductive, and we can (and should) change it. By leveraging new technologies such as 3D scanners and virtual reality and by sharing 3D models to bring everyone along on the design journey, we produce better, more accurate outcomes far more quickly. And that makes for stronger projects.
 
In the case of the Kingsland firehouse, we worked to a tight, non-negotiable TV production schedule. By closely collaborating with the consultants, builders, trades, and production team, we arrived swiftly at an excellent result everyone could be proud of. A true team effort, this project demonstrates the power of trusted partnerships and early collaboration to get quality built projects completed and to auction within the year.
 
Operating nationwide out of our Auckland and Christchurch studios, Context services government, property networks, developers, and corporate clients. We’re a 60-plus team of urban designers, landscape architects, interior designers, digital experts, and brand and graphic designers providing an integrated design service to clients across housing, remediation, retail, workspace, tourism, and aged care.

Architect:
Context Architects
Telephone: 09-358 0140
www. https://contextarchitects.com/
E-mail: hello@contextarchitects.com
 

Supplier:
Riteline Roofing Ltd
Material: COLORSTEEL® Endura® Matte
Colour: TidalDrift® and FlaxPod® Matte (Cladding and Roofing) 
Profile: Steel & Tube Legacy® (Cladding and Roof)