Aotearoa’s largest base-isolated apartment building nears completion
The apartments’ cantilevered north-west façade viewed from Wellington’s Victoria Street.
A two-bedroom corner apartment.
The building’s diagrid structure is designed to withstand a one-in-1000-year earthquake.
Residents are expected to move into the Victoria Lane Apartments in March.
The project consists of 123 premium one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
Cuba Precinct in downtown Wellington is now home to the city’s first base-isolated residential building, designed to withstand a one-in-1000-year earthquake.
Construction is almost complete on the Athfield Architects-designed Victoria Lane Apartments – one of the first development projects started in Wellington following the country’s first Covid lockdown in 2020 – with residents expected to start moving in in March.
Located at 161 Victoria Street, the $140-million Willis Bond project consists of 123 premium one, two and three-bedroom apartments, as well as 3240 square metres of base-isolated office space and ground floor retail spaces.
The 14,000 square metre project is the largest base-isolated residential building in New Zealand. It is founded on 124 driven piles and incorporates 24 base isolators, which effectively separate the building’s superstructure from the ground. This is complemented by the building’s diagrid structure – a diagonal grid of steel that wraps around the building for extra strength.
The development forms part of a wider Cuba precinct rejuvenation project, which includes the state-of-the-art educational facility Te Auaha and the redevelopment of the former Farmers building and two adjoining properties on Cuba Street, now home to Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Structural design of the Victoria Lane Apartments was by Dunning Thornton Consultants (DTC) and construction was undertaken by LT McGuinness.
