The other day in our photo of the day we highlighted the new ASB Headquarters in the Wynyard Quarter. Here’s another photo of it thanks to Craig.
But the reason for this post is that you can now look around inside the building on Google Streetview.
You can now explore ASB North Wharf, our sustainable new home in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, from the comfort of your computer thanks to Google Street View.
We’ve become the first large company in New Zealand to open our head office doors to millions of Google users around the world to use Google Maps or Google Earth to explore our waterfront head office. The ASB Innovation Lab has also received the Street View treatment and is open to curious visitors from today.
Covering five of the building’s seven floors you can take a peek inside our on-site theatre, ASB Cube; go inside one of our water drop-shaped meeting rooms; or take in the view of the Waitemata Harbour on the level 7 View Deck.
ASB are obviously keen to show off all parts of their building. The inside is pretty funky with lots of interesting shapes, angles, materials, furniture and colours. Here are some shots from the streetview images:
So go and explore the building for yourself.
Nice work ASB
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No photos of the 300 odd car parks
There are only 97 Car Parks. A big reduction compared to the old ASB head office building.http://www.kipt.co.nz/asbnorthwharf
Perhaps Myles was referring to the large at grade private carpark in the Tank Farm a couple of hundred metres from the ASB building that appeared in synch with the opening of the building, with access along a nice new footpath from North Wharf.
Well I think its boring and ugly. Lots of bare steel covered only with a coat of paint. Lots of exposed ducting and piping. Why not cover all this ugly infrastructure? Perhaps to save money! The furniture looks like it has been designed by a torture expert. Some of it looks like it is made of plastic. I could get that at The Warehouse. I see no carpet. Tiles and paint might be easy to clean but they do not provide warmth and comfort. The only positive aspect I see is lots of natural light. No doubt very expensive but looks cheap and nasty to me. That’s what happens when they let architects design buildings! And this is from a loyal ASB customer who once worked for them in their Queen/Wellesley building. Their original building that is now McDonalds, Queen St, is still the best.
It’s an interesting building to work in. I don’t mind the exposed ducting and pipes, the place feels much more fresh and open than a traditional office with ceiling tiles. I think a big part of the rationale for everything being open (rather than boxed off ceilings) is encouraging air flow – a lot of the ‘form’ is actually ‘function’ in that respect. Those grey cylinder’s on the side of picture three by the chairs that look like they are rubbish bins, they are actually air vents, the air comes in through the floor there in level 3 and then rises up through the open middle of the building and out the giant chimney/funnel at the top.
Ypou are criticising modern architecture, not this particular building by the way….
It’s an extension of the architecture employed at the Albany IT Centre “C:Drive”, and the Sovereign bulding at Smales Farm. C:Drive is more “raw” inside, comprised mostly of concrete and grey metal beams, and always felt like prison architecture to me. The Sovereign building has more timber elements in it, which softens the look somewhat.
Practicality sometimes seems to get a lower priority than winning architecture awards.
for what I know (and I don’t know much) ASB is leasing the place. Sounds weird that a bank that gives money to people to buy their home doesn’t have the money to buy its own… ok back to transport: motorbike parking is always too full now that asb people park there!
ASB Tower was also leased, as is the Support Centre at Eden Quarter. The Albany IT centre was also purpose built and leased back. The lease costs are an operating expense, so are probably deducted before calculating the profit on which to pay tax.
I know there are infinite financial reasons for this, and in my point of view it’s just plain wrong. As it is wrong that a building with so many workers was built without a clear transport plan. As PMS says under here, infrastructure is lacking.
What a grey scene (3rd pic). Never mind, probably looks better on a nice day.
I’ve travelled into the building from the North Shore. From a public transport perspective the new building is more difficult for me than the old ASB head office (Which was conveniently near to the Victoria st bus stops). I’m not looking forward to a really wet winter, It’s probably at least half a km walk from the Fanshaw/Vic Park bus stops, very exposed the whole way and an umbrella will do you little good, it’s like walking into a wind tunnel that close to the waterfront! Not sure what happened to the plans for extending that Wynyard tram line all the way to Britomart but if it ever happens I suspect there will be a few hundred folk in and around the North Wharf building who would use integrated ticketing to connect straight through to the office from the main transport exchange.
Does make the whole sustainable vision a bit questionable if the transport options are not there. Would be great if the bank or developers used their clout to get the tram project moving – council agencies seem to listen to big business more than the “common folk”. An ASB sponsored tram for example could be a good PR look. Assume the September 2014 date here is an old one?
http://www.waterfrontauckland.co.nz/Waterfront-Auckland/Pages/ProjectUpdatesInside.aspx?ID=10
Many cities seem to be able to build transport infrastructure around the same time as new developments – Auckland waits for years (at best). The governance has become a joke.
The Auckland Architecture Association is holding a tour of ASB North Wharf on the 5th of November, if your interested : http://aaa.org.nz/2013/10/asb-north-wharf-tour-tickets-on-sale-now/
Im not sure what to think if it yet, so a good way to form an understanding is to explore it in person.