29 February 2012
20 February 2012
West Plaza
I recently moved to Auckland to start a new job. When I found out that I'd be working in the West Plaza building, I was delighted! Located downtown on the corner of Albert and and Fanshawe streets, West Plaza is an elegant beauty. Its distinctive narrow form appears like a cross-section of a wing with shimmering white fins. Designed in 1970 in the International style by Neville Price, and completed in 1974, West Plaza reached a then-high 74 metres with 18 floors with fine views across the Waitemata Harbour.
West Plaza has been hailed as one of Auckand's finest high-rise buildings. Recently featuring in Julia Gately's fine Long Live the Modern: New Zealand's New Architecture, 1904-1984, the entry by Bill McKay refers to it as being a sculptural piece, with its curved base, gleaming whiteness and vertical fins providing a nautical flavour.
In 2005 the New Zealand Institute of Architects bestowed an Enduring Architecture Award, refering to a "...finely scaled building [that] stands tall on its narrow site, as noble now as when first built... the elegant arrangement of fins describes an ever-changing pattern for passing observers, and displays a richly layered texture on the cityscape ...West Plaza remains a jewel to be treasured and an exemplar for future generations".
West Plaza has been hailed as one of Auckand's finest high-rise buildings. Recently featuring in Julia Gately's fine Long Live the Modern: New Zealand's New Architecture, 1904-1984, the entry by Bill McKay refers to it as being a sculptural piece, with its curved base, gleaming whiteness and vertical fins providing a nautical flavour.
In 2005 the New Zealand Institute of Architects bestowed an Enduring Architecture Award, refering to a "...finely scaled building [that] stands tall on its narrow site, as noble now as when first built... the elegant arrangement of fins describes an ever-changing pattern for passing observers, and displays a richly layered texture on the cityscape ...West Plaza remains a jewel to be treasured and an exemplar for future generations".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)