Downtown Public Space Options

Written by Ben Ross - Talking Auckland

The Queen Elizabeth Square Debate Continues

 

Thursday’s Auckland Committee Agenda is a packed one with one of the items back up on the debate agenda. That item being the Queen Elizabeth Square debate which kicked off in May but was deferred on the back of a resolution seeking options around Downtown open space. Now that report is back in the form of the Downtown Public Space Evaluation paper we can see that it recommends Queen Elizabeth Square be sold to Precinct but with strict conditions attached on how Precinct can develop their property that surrounds QEII Square.

From the Downtown Public Space Evaluation section of the Auckland Development Committee Agenda (full agenda will be embedded at the bottom of the post):

Downtown Public Space Options Evaluation

Purpose

  1. To present the findings of two independent public space evaluation studies as well as other considerations to satisfy resolutions passed by the Auckland Development Committee at its meeting on the 15 May 2014 in relation to the report ‘Downtown Shopping Centre Block Redevelopment – Future of Queen Elizabeth Square’ (Resolution number AUC/2014/64). Based on the findings of the studies, this report seeks approval to commence the statutory processes associated with the sale of Queen Elizabeth Square and the consequential work required to deliver new alternative public space/s and secure desired design outcomes from the redevelopment of the Downtown Shopping Centre block.

Executive summary

  1. The Auckland Development Committee at its meeting on 15 May 2014 considered the report Downtown Shopping Centre (DSC) Block Redevelopment – Future of Queen Elizabeth Square (Resolution number AUC/2014/64) and resolved to approve, in principle, the disposal of the land on which Queen Elizabeth Square (QE Square) stands as part of the wider redevelopment of the DSC block.  This approval was subject to the outcome of associated statutory public processes (road stopping and rezoning of the land).  It was made on the basis that the redevelopment of the block is of the highest ‘world class’ design quality and the proceeds from the sale of QE Square are reinvested in new or enhanced downtown public space/s.  The latter point was to be further considered through an evaluation study of ‘off site’ public space options and presented back to the Auckland Development Committee for final approval.
  2. QE Square as defined for the purpose of this report is contained by Lower Queen Street to the east, HSBC Tower (1 Queen Street) to the north, Downtown Shopping Centre (DSC) to the west and Zurich House (21 Queen Street) to the south.  It measures approximately 2000 square metres (sq m) in size.  The DSC block in which QE Square sits is bounded by Lower Albert Street, Quay Street, Custom Street West and Lower Queen Street.  With the exception of QE Square all of the land in the block in owned by Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (PPNZL).
  3. In June 2014 Council commissioned Reset Urban Design Limited to undertake an independent evaluation of existing public space provision in the downtown area including QE Square and evaluate options for future offsite public space/s. This evaluation study, referred to as the Downtown Public Space Options Evaluation (DPSOE), finds that the existing as well as a potentially  enhanced QE Square is fundamentally compromised as a public space not least because of the shading effect of HSBC Tower (1 Queen Street).  It concludes that there are better alternative spaces which, with the proceeds of its sale, could be created or improved to enhance the overall downtown public space provision (see Attachment  A –  Downtown Public Space Options Evaluation)
  4. The study recommends the following options would provide improved civic and informal recreational spaces in the downtown area:
  • an upgraded pedestrianised civic space on Lower Queen Street, in front of the Chief Post Office (CPO) heritage building, to be delivered as part of the City Rail Link (CRL) ‘early works package’ to a standard that is ‘coherent with the wider area and/or recent public realm upgrades in the area’ as per the City Rail Link Notice of Requirement conditions.
  • a suite of three new or upgraded downtown waterfront public spaces that will provide for informal recreational uses as well as ceremonial welcoming activity. These spaces stretch between the foot of Lower Albert Street in the west through to the Admiralty Steps area to the east of Queens Wharf.
  1. Preparation of the study included sessions with the Waitemata Local Board,  joint workshops of the Auckland Development Committee and Parks, Sport and Recreation Committee (30 July and 3 September 2014), a series of meetings with five iwi groups, Waterfront Auckland’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and various meetings with staff representing various parts of council and Council Controlled Organisations.
  2. Independent of the above work, the Copenhagen based leading international practice in public life studies and public realm design, Gehl Architects, undertook a review of QE Square.  Their evaluation found that HSBC Tower (1 Queen Street) compromises the QE Square space from an environmental perspective and restricts visual connectivity to the waterfront whilst Lower Queen Street bus and rail underpass infrastructure blocks the space from the street (see Attachment B –Queen Elizabeth Square Evaluation).  They conclude that “if other open space options exist within the area it would be worthwhile exploring how they could offer something that is more valuable and attractive than the current QE Square”.
  3. A review of identified public space options against Te Aranga Māori design principles, including consultation with five mana whenua groups, determined that the downtown waterfront options, specifically the Admiralty Steps area, present much greater opportunities to achieve the cultural landscape qualities sought than the existing QE Square.
  4. The City Centre Integration group led Downtown Framework document, the topic of a separate report to this meeting of the Auckland Development Committee (Ref CP2014/20135), provides the strategic context and overarching vision to these evaluation studies and the recommendations of this report.  The Framework and evaluation studies suggest that the incorporation of QE Square in the wider redevelopment of the DSC block would enable the following outcomes:
  5. The creation of at least two new or enhanced waterfront recreational public spaces, superior in form and function to QE Square, utilising the return from the sale of the land.
  6. A greater level of control, via specific requirements within the terms of sale, over the design of the DSC block in support of achieving a world class gateway development and city centre destination.  A key requirement will be an enhanced pedestrian east-west laneway that functions as an attractive, publically accessible route between public transport nodes as part of the wider City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) identified circuit.
  7. A new active edge to a new civic space on Lower Queen Street in front of the CPO building, commensurate in size but better quality to QE Square, made possible by the east-west laneway and the consequent shift of Lower Queen Street bus stops and infrastructure to Lower Albert Street.
  8. On the basis of these outcomes this report seeks to reconfirm the 15 May 2014 Auckland Development Committee approval to dispose of QE Square subject to outcome of associated statutory public processes. It proposes that the proceeds from the sale of QE Square be reinvested in at least two new or enhanced public spaces in the downtown waterfront area as part of a network of public spaces connected via an upgraded Quay Street to a new civic space in Lower Queen Street

………….

Got that? Try and read the Comments after the Recommendations 😉

Those Recommendations

 

Recommendation/s

That the Auckland Development Committee:

  • note the findings of the Downtown Public Space Options Evaluation (Reset Urban Design), Queen Elizabeth Square Evaluation (Gehl Architects) and Te Aranga Māori Design Evaluation (Rau Hoskins).
  • confirm approval to sell land on which Queen Elizabeth Square stands to Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (PPNZL) subject to successful commercial negotiations, the outcome of associated statutory public processes (road stopping and rezoning of the land) and the inclusion of design quality requirements for the Downtown Shopping Centre (DSC) block in the terms of sale.
  • agree that the proceeds from the sale of Queen Elizabeth Square be reinvested in the delivery of at least two of three identified potential alternative public spaces along the downtown waterfront i.e.:
    1. new/improved space west of Queens Wharf on the water’s edge at the foot of Lower Albert Street
    2. improved space around the historic ferry building and at the base of Queens Wharf
    3. new/improved space east of Queens Wharf in the Admiralty Steps area.
  • note the initial draft design requirements for the Downtown Shopping Centre block that will form part of the terms of sale, summarised as follows:
    1. support the vision for the area as expressed in the Downtown Framework and the general design principles of the Downtown Shopping Centre Block Design and Development Brief (October 2013).
    2. creation of an at-grade, publicly accessible (24hrs/7days), open with weather protection, east-west pedestrian laneway connection between Lower Queen Street and Lower Albert Street through the block.
    3. creation of a north-south pedestrian link through the block referencing the old Little Queen Street.
    4. creation of an active built edge to Lower Albert Street, Lower Queen Street, Quay Street and Custom Street that is human in scale and reinforces and enhances the positive street qualities of the surrounding area in terms of scale, massing, rhythm, articulation and transparency of facade.
    5. best practice environmental design including a minimum New Zealand Green Building Council rating of 5 Stars or a recognised equivalent standard for the commercial tower.
    6. application of Te Aranga Māori Design principles in the design process and final design.
    7. support of the Auckland Urban Design Panel to the final design.
  • note that, additional to the waterfront public spaces identified in point c), a new civic pedestrianised space is to be delivered on Lower Queen Street in front of the Chief Post Office (Britomart Transport Centre) as part of the City Rail Link ‘early works’ package. The proposed civic space will be delivered to a standard that is ‘coherent with the wider area and/or recent public realm upgrades in the area’ as per the City Rail Link Notice of Requirement conditions.
  • note that the design of alternative public spaces identified in b) will form part of Quay Street upgrade project design package scheduled to commence November 2014.
  • agree that staff report back to the Auckland Development Committee with an update on the alternative public spaces design development as part of the Quay Street upgrade project.

 

…………

In the end the Report recommends to sell off Queen Elizabeth Square to Precinct Properties with the proceeds to be used on public space options on the other side of Quay Street. The recommendations also “note: that Lower Queen Street that currently houses buses would be converted into a pedestrian space post the City Rail Link “early stages” phase (2016).

This is what Council is looking at with the three potential alternative public spaces in-lieu of Queen Elizabeth Square being sold off:

Downtown Public Space Evaluation

The Wider Concept

 

The Waterfront Public Space Alternatives

 

 

 

With Lower Queen Street concepts like this

 

I’ll place these two graphics of Queen Elizabeth Square in here as well. Maybe it could be converted to something like this or a model for somewhere else in the City.

Open Court Yard

 

 

Atrium

 

 

I personally like atriums as part of a wider public space arrangement. They give refuge as well as enjoyment over the particular public space they cover especially with Auckland’s weather so moody as it is. Atriums also extend the usage period of a particular open space especially in foul weather both in Winter and Summer thus attracting more people through on a more regular basis.

Atrium designs on two of my Manukau Super Metropolitan Centre developments with the MIT Atrium also included

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All in all I support the recommendations proposed to the Auckland Development Committee. Ideally with the report and recommendations as sound as it is I would expect the debate to be around 30 minutes long. Sadly knowing some of our elected representatives are quite not up to the bar of delivering an articulated point in under 60 seconds I wonder if the debate subsequently will drag on (going around in circles) for about two hours long?

We shall see on Thursday with Talking Auckland Live Tweeting service to happen through the proceedings.

 

Auckland Development Committee – September Agenda 2014