Space Studio takes design beyond the environment for Whanau Ora

To house the new Whanau Ora initiative for Maori Health (an integrated family health centre announced in early 2010), the Waipareira Trust has developed a site in Henderson, west Auckland, for the Whanau Centre and associated office.

Space Studio, an Auckland based interior design practice, was appointed to work alongside architect Ian Kohler to undertake the building’s regeneration and refurbishment for the Waipareira Trust.

“Waipareira Trust was in a state of change regarding its overall operation. The first challenge for my team was forming an all-encompassing brief, which is easier said than done as most building professionals know,” says Space Studio commercial design associate Alex Kelly, who has over 20 years’ experience in commercial office interiors.

With experience comes a no-nonsense approach to design. “I strive for quality, efficiency and originality, and this process always commences by getting the brief right from the start,” she says.

When it came to working with the trust, there needed to be a series of intense consultations with representatives from across the organisation. Space Studio’s consultation worked closely with the cluster (department) representatives to work out how they were going to inhabit the new building.

One centralised space

The trust was previously spread over a few sites, so Space Studio challenged the client to think about how they would like to work and operate, rather than how they operated currently. Following consultation, Space Studio weaved together the key themes from each cluster to develop an accommodation brief for each, while ensuring all were able to work cohesively in one centralised space.

Functional’ and ‘inclusive’ Space Studio takes design beyond the environment for Whanau Ora were top of the list for Waipareira Trust. “The brief development was probably the most challenging aspect of the project,” Alex says. “However, working with a raft of stakeholders from the bottom up was extremely important and ultimately underpinned the successful delivery of the project.”

Waipareira Trust’s new Whanau House will operate on a mainly appointment (but also a drop-in) basis and provide services for the whole whanau. The services offered are extensive: from community health workers, dieticians, drug and alcohol counsellors, psychologists, ACC support workers, to literacy and numeracy, amongst many others. All services span a wide age range, from infants through to the elderly.

A welcoming environment

Recognising the strengths and richness inherent in every whanau, it became clear that there were practical issues to resolve – the need to be welcoming whilst not creating barriers or no-go areas.

The design solution developed by Space Studio was to split the public and private sectors of the Whanau Centre onto two separate floors. This means that on the Whanau Floor (public area) there is the reception, the whanau rooms (used for group meetings or counselling), the consulting rooms for private interviews, and the main meeting rooms, plus waiting areas and play areas for children.

“Our design considered Waipareira Trust’s client circumstances – for example, play areas that are in view from some of the consulting rooms, so parents can have a meeting while seeing that their child is safe and occupied,” Alex explains. “There are also breakout areas Continued on page 3 with ‘hot desks’ for internet access and a casual lunchroom providing free tea and coffee.”

The staff floor on the above level is access controlled. This means staff are close enough to pop down to hold meetings and consultations, but also separate from visitors’ view so they are not directly serving the public, giving staff the freedom to work without being disturbed. By not signing the staff floor at the entry area, it effectively makes it invisible to the public, overcoming any notion of exclusion.

The organisation has a lot of staff who are out on the road and come to the Whanau Centre for client or staff meetings. Space Studio designed breakout areas bounded by staff lockers, which will also be used for staff to recover from some (more challenging) client meetings. Every detail in storage and practical items also had to be covered, ensuring efficiency for all staff using the new Whanau Centre going forward.

Designing beyond the brief

Space Studio’s design solution came about by not just designing an environment to the client’s requirements, but designing beyond that. “As designers, we think in three dimensions, taking a fresh look at how clients work and how their environment can help them,” Alex says.

“At Space Studio, we pride ourselves in really getting to know our clients – not just the senior management, but the ground-level staff too. As outsiders with a fresh pair of eyes and no preconceived ideas, we can suggest solutions that would not have been thought of previously. We make sure the project has both the visual and operational wow factor.”

Alex joined Space Studio in 2009 after having owned her own specialist commercial office interior design company in the UK. She now heads up Space Studio’s commercial division, whose core areas of design are retail, hospitality and agedcare facilities. She brings a wealth of international experience, having worked not only in the UK but also in Europe and the Far East, with clients spreading across most business sectors.

“The challenge I have faced here in Auckland is that most clients seem to go to the ‘big name’ architectural practices, whereas in the UK you could build yourself a niche of being more of a boutique design firm, providing better design and offering a more personal approach,” she says. “We don’t seek out the largest projects – just those where the client is up for good design and a sense of adventure.”

Alex is also currently working with Procare Health, running a refurbishment of its Auckland branch and the relocation of the Manukau branch. Both projects are a challenge budget-wise, but Alex seems to have ‘making a little go a long way’ down to a fine art.

So what is next for Space Studio? “Our aim is to grow our brand locally,” Alex concludes. “Over the last five years we have completed a large number of projects overseas, and now especially on the commercial side, we have the expertise to design and deliver some groundbreaking design. It would be great if we could bring that international expertise to Auckland projects.”