Salvation Army Carpark

Salvation Army Wellington City Corps Officer, Major Milton Collins, approached Isthmus regarding the consenting requirements of the carpark adjacent to their Vivian Street headquarters. The front entrance to the Salvation Army and the pedestrian entrance to the carpark lacked a defined street frontage. Isthmus proposed the consideration of a pocket park with amenity planting and alternative fencing/screening.

The project evolved from the concept phase rather quickly with a palette of materials and planting confirmed right from the initial presentation to the council. Maintaining a pedestrian frontage to Vivian Street and tidying up the Jessie Street end were important factors. Provided Vivian Street remains one-way, the main element of the design should see the design hold its frontage to the State Highway corridor. To achieve this, the timber screen was set at an angle at which the design interfaced with pedestrians, vehicles and the road, utilising paint, and most importantly, colour.

The timber screen at the Vivian Street edge uses the Resene range to its fullest advantage, creating an oscillating visual effect to motorists and pedestrians by contrasting Resene Woodsman Pitch Black stain against five alternating The Range colours. This enhances the profile of the recycled timber screen against its setting in the planting, and provides amenity to pedestrians using the space.

The site is located in an area of Te Aro that is experiencing positive change in its growth, with new developments popping up and enhancing the neighbourhood. Inspiration was taken from the adjacent context in which the scheme sits. A rich vein of street art and a mixture of architectural facades border the site, so the colours used were selectively picked to complement and contrast against each other and the existing urban palette. The Resene Range colours Resene Limitless, Resene Desire, Resene Half Alabaster, Resene Aquarius and Resene Outrageous were all used to renew the recycled timber and inject a blast of colour into the timber screen.

As well as being inspired by the local street art, the idea that light filtering through the timber screen would enhance the colours was a big factor in the colour choice. Pairing the colours with the Resene Pitch Black wood stain resulted in a design element that has longevity of life and provides good value for money.

Building and painting contractor: Nikau Palmatum Ltd
Client: Major Milton Collins, Corps Officer,
Colour selection: Isthmus Group
Photographer: Nathan Young, Dodge and Burn Photography
Property manager: Ross Clark, The Salvation Army
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2013

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