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Building intent: Warren and Mahoney’s Lego renovation

Creators: Warren and Mahoney (Hannah Thompson, Antonia Lapwood, Ji Hye Lim and Ivan Muller)

Warren and Mahoney, a multidisciplinary architectural practice with six offices, is regarded as one of the country’s best and has been involved in major projects like the New Zealand Supreme Court, the Waterview Connection, the International Convention Centre and Westpac Stadium. Its design philosophy is founded on the belief that “human experience is improved through enduring design excellence, delivered through formal simplicity and material quality.” Sounds a bit like Lego.

Description: “Within the context of Warren and Mahoney’s new Auckland studio located in the Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct, we began a design process that imagined different ways of activating the auditorium stair located within the heart of our workspace. During this process we tested multiple iterations, playing with scale, form and composition.

The intent for our installation was to encourage people to pause and engage with the stair. An intentional structure, reminiscent of a high-rise building, scales up the riser and wraps over the tread of a specific step, emphasising the form and proportion of the stair. Its orthogonal form juxtaposes with the hundreds of Lego bricks, in a full spectrum of randomised colours. Its form suggests its functionality; perhaps a small table or coffee cup holder allowing for multiple interpretations. The installation animates the stair and brightens the studio while providing an element of curiosity. An intentional structure designed to have an unintentional purpose. Where the stairs have a set form and purpose, the versatility of this design allows the users to move and relocate the structure to form the individual’s intent.”

Building intent #1: Spaceworks’ Lego house

Building intent #2: Josh Lancaster’s Lego landscapes

One of the talented Idealog Team Content Producers made this post happen.

Review overview