Bledisloe Lane, Waterview Playground and YMCA Camp Adair award winners

Award winners at the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards and the New Zealand Planning Institute Awards 2016.

The Commercial Project awards recognises excellence in construction and team relationships of completed commercial construction projects. Our project at Bledisloe Lane won a Gold Award.

Bledisloe Lane is a key pedestrian connection in central Auckland between Wellesley Street and Aotea Square. Boffa Miskell led the design of the public realm including the upgraded laneway and pocket park and worked closely with the architecture firm, Creative Spaces, on the integration of the new ground surface with the laneway canopy and facade. A consideration in the design was to transform the laneway into an inviting and well used linkage by partially opening the space to the sky for more light, eliminating previously unused spaces and introducing a visually strong ground surface treatment that draws pedestrians along the lane. The adjoining pocket park on Wellesley Street has been opened up to accommodate walking access whilst providing opportunities to gather. The judges considered that the vision to create ‘a vibrant connection’ to the Aotea cultural and entertainment precinct had ‘achieved just that’.

Boffa Miskell was also a member of two teams to win awards at this year’s NZPI Awards ceremony in Dunedin.

Freshwater ecologist, Eddie Sides led our aquatic ecologist team worked alongside Beca and ESR in a wastewater management study for YMCA Auckland, which won the Integrated Planning and Investigations Best Practice Award 2016. The project brief was to create a new wastewater management strategy and acquire a long-term consent for wastewater drainage into the nearby river without harming the environment. This project was highly successful due to the integration of the multi-disciplinary team, the early engagement ensuring all stakeholder views had been assessed and resolved before the consent submission process even began, and the strong relationships that were built with the YMCA team to ensure the best outcome for all parties was achieved.

The community engagement and design process for the Waterview Playground won the NZPI Best Practice Award for Consultation and Participation Strategies and Processes. The annual award recognises projects that demonstrate outstanding creativity, innovation, and service. The partnership between the Well-Connected Alliance (WCA), the Albert Eden Local Board (of which Boffa Miskell was a part), Auckland Council and involvement by the community has been integral to the successful delivery of the playground. The design involved community design workshops, regular Auckland Council and WCA design meetings, and workshop sessions with Waterview Primary School children to elicit their ideas for the playground. Through this collaborative process the playground was designed to reflect the needs, aspirations and identity of the local community. The playground was delivered to the community as part of the NZ Transport Agency’s Waterview Connection roading project.

Congratulations to all the teams and everyone involved!