Library 27

Library 27 is a 17-storey apartment building with a single level basement on the corner of Mayoral Drive and Rutland Street in downtown Auckland. The basement contains 7 carparking spaces, which service the 49 apartments above. The ground level contains two commercial tenancies, while the 16 storeys above contain residential apartments, including a two-storey penthouse at the top of the building.

The Architect's incorporation of passive design principles has given all Library 27 apartments access to natural ventilation, light and temperature control. When combined with generous high ceilings throughout the living spaces and views over Auckland Museum, Albert Park, and upper levels extended to Waitemata Harbour, the building makes clever use of its challenging location.

There were constraints around the building foundations and the logistics of construction, given the minimal set-down area, which raised challenges. These challenges included the site being 9m wide and 32m long, bounded on three sides by public roads and by an adjacent 15 storey residential building on the fourth. The Mayoral Drive side has a pre-existing 5m high piled retaining wall and an off-ramp from Mayoral Drive, providing access to Rutland St and Auckland Library, sweeps across the front of the site.

In addition to this, several significant changes with respect to building envelopes and façade requirements were enacted by Auckland Council at the time the project was nearing design completion. This required the incumbent design team to enable and assist the newly required façade designers on the project. The team assisted in providing guidance around building movements, primary frame support to undertaking façade design for certain aspects of the project.

The Developer, Eaglestone Group, is based in Monaco, Europe. They are a significant developer around the world, and this was their first project in NZ. The Client identified that car spaces, though desirable, could be forsaken for an inner-city site. There was an element of cost control, but European sensibilities around the usage of public transport also came into play.