Te Whare Mahi

This project delivers a three-level, 4,200 m² mass timber office building in central Hastings, consolidating council offices into a single, future-focused workplace. The building is conceived as a civic anchor—one that supports contemporary, activity-based working while contributing positively to the public realm.
At ground level, the building engages the city through a generous external gathering and interaction space, inviting public use and informal occupation. This space acts as an extension of the street, reinforcing the building’s civic role and fostering connection between council, community, and place.
A semi-private, triple-height foyer forms the heart of the building. Conceived as both a circulation spine and a spatial threshold, the foyer operates as a filter between the public-facing ground plane and the private office environments above. Daylight, vertical scale, and exposed mass timber structure give this space clarity, warmth, and legibility, supporting intuitive wayfinding and social interaction.
The workplace above is organised as an activity-based environment, providing a diverse range of settings - from focused work areas to collaborative zones, designed to support flexibility, wellbeing, and evolving modes of work. Exposed mass timber structure underpins the architectural expression, reducing embodied carbon while creating a calm, tactile interior environment.
Māori design principles are embedded within the project, informing spatial hierarchy, material selection, and patterning. Natural materials, tonal layering, and crafted details reference local narratives and reinforce a sense of identity and belonging, grounding the building culturally as well as physically within its Hastings context.
A workplace that balances openness and security, public engagement and operational efficiency - an enduring, low-carbon building that reflects both the values of the council and the community it serves.