Te Kaitaika ‘The Cloak’ has been established in the heart of the growing urban environment at Auckland International Airport.A sculptural built form is sited on the corner of two recently upgraded streets, one heavily traffic based & one focussed on the pedestrian. The functional brief was simple - a flexible space for hosting events, meetings & introducing the strategy & opportunities behind the developing precinct. Beyond these functional requirements, the brief was aspirational - the architecture should demonstrate opportunities for innovative design & sustainable operation.The response used the freedom of its scale to explore sculptural & structural directions & brings together rich layering of material, texture & form to express cultural & national values.A contoured living green roof is established over a shaped engineered timber frame, this shape providing the shoulders from which an encircling & distinctive woven mesh screen forms Te Kaitaka - The CloakThe architecture is a combination of readily available construction approaches, layered with a degree of craft & legible materiality to showcase New Zealand sustainable design, materials, & innovation. Text description by the architects | Visit www.theradicalproject.com to read more about the project.
