Design concept

• The locality of the site has seen the existing Wintec hill cut by the formation of Anglesea Street and the city grid cut by the railway line, before it was lowered and located in a tunnel.

  On a wider scale, the Waikato River has also cut through the landscape, sometimes with dramatic effect. This concept of cutting and slicing has been used as a design driver for the Citygate site. The principle is that the site could conventionally be used for a three storey building across its full extent. This base position is compared to a whole rock or stone.

• The premise is that this single mass is cut diagonally with one half stacked on top of the other. The result is a mass on one side twice as high as before, along with an empty adjacent space.

  The externally rough stone, with a polished and engaging cut surface, translates as the building. The remaining space translates into a civic space.

A great place to work.

• Amenity

  Citygate’s location, central to the CBD provides access to a range of local amenities and services.

  Ward St, one of Hamilton’s busiest shopping precincts, features a wide range of cafés and restaurants, retail shops and banks.

  Accommodation at the Novotel and Quest Hotels is within a 5-10 minute walking distance.

  Hamilton City Council is currently renewing the landscaped civic space of Garden Place with new planting and paving areas. This forms part of the
  CityHeart programme of works, of which the Citygate open space is part.

• Community

  The Citygate open space plaza is unique for Hamilton City. It is exceptionally rare for new high quality open space to be created in a CBD location as a result of a property development.

  The Citygate open space creates opportunities for community engagement, ranging from informal café-style, movable seating, to informal
  seating on the grass terraces.

  The central plaza area is a flexible multi-use space that will provide opportunities for small to medium-sized events. There will be opportunities for corporate events, entertainment, dining and people watching. A strong design emphasis is on security through passive surveillance, activity and quality design.