Levy Building Renovation

PROJECT ARCHITECT

PROJECT TEAM

Peter Reed (Conservation Architect)

Rosalie Stanley, Andre Fourie

Background:
The Levy Building (formerly known as Gilmore’s Warehouse) is of historic significance in Auckland City. It is registered with the NZ Historic Places Trust as a Category II place. Originally completed in February 1897, it has been modified a number of times. In 1934 plans were drawn up by Wade & Bartley Architects for extensive alterations to the building. It is essentially this form that remains today. The significant 1934 Art Deco refurbishment of the facade and ground floor of the interior is typical of its time and stylistic treatment. Levy Building is located in the Britomart precinct which is undergoing redevelopment for a transport interchange. The building is a three storeyed unreinforced rendered brick structure with a corrugated steel hipped roof. A timber post and beam internal structural system supports a timber framed floor frame and roof structure.

Project Architect: Mercer and Mercer Architects Ltd

Conservation Architects contribution, Salmond Reed Architects Ltd:
The project brief was to recover the original surviving fabric from the 1934 refurbishment and to reinstate missing material from this era. This included extensive reconstruction of the ground floor shop front which included leadlight windows, marble-faced exterior skirt and stall-board and the fluted columns. The original 1897 stair was to be reconfigured from the first landing level and this necessitated dismantling, removal from site and reconstructing after structural alterations were completed. The challenge was to find a balance between accepting the 1897 fabric and its relationship with the 1934 fabric, conserve both and, at the same time, integrate new services and seismic upgrade work.