A new development in Auckland, dubbed ‘Symphony303’ is a great example of an adaptive reuse project being rebuild anew with mass timber. This latest residential project is   taking place on the former Obex Medical head office site at 303 Manukau Rd.  The re-purposed building will essentially use lightweight CLT in the core of the building, including stairs, upper-level slabs and decks.

Jasmax has been commissioned to design the project. “Everything in the design process has been considered to create a sense of space and balance. The adaptive reuse of the ex-commercial building’s structure was an exciting challenge and one we hope to repeat on future projects due to reduced carbon impact. Our design response responds to and establishes balance between the vibrant urban context that one gets living so close to a bustling hub like Newmarket and the calm, serene tree-lined avenues of Epsom,” says principal Matthew Downs.

Developers report that they will repurpose the existing building and extend it to five storeys total. “We will strip the original building back to its concrete frame to preserve the existing character elements including the generous ceiling height. It will then be extended, and two additional levels will be added to create a five-storey building, four levels of sunny elevated apartments on top of a ground floor dedicated to car parks, bike stands and storage units,” says Tim Lamont, half of the twin-brother duo behind Lamont & Co.

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Source: Architecture Now