The ASB Queen Street branch is located deep within an internal space with no windows and a low ceiling, further compressing the space.
Michael Fisher from CPRW Fisher Architects counteracted the existing space constraints by bringing the outside street inside, by choosing the same basalt paving used in the Queen Street upgrades.
Above this, he wished to create the sense of a sky-lit ceiling lantern using daylight, not artificial light and Asona's Triton 40 white acoustic panels provided the ideal solution.
By lifting the ceiling as high as physically possible, he created deep coffers which housed concealed daylight-coloured LED tubes. The top of the coffers were lined with Asona’s Triton 40 white acoustic panels to absorb sound and bounce reflective light back down into the space.
The illusion of natural skylights would be created by a series of suspended multi-sized cylinders, grouped together to produce differing light. Asona also provided a material solution with their Sonatex glass mat composite tissue. This appealed to CPRW Fisher, as it gave them the opportunity to work with the tissue the same way the Japanese have for centuries.
The Sonatex tissue cylinders that formed the lanterns are suspended on fine wires, giving the illusion the lanterns are suspended in space. This allowed the light to glow around the edges and through the suspended feature, giving a soft, daylight effect.
Project Details
Architects: CPRW Fisher – Michael Fisher and Siran Li
Design Consultants: Blair Farquhar and Paul Van Lent
Lighting Designer: Lightworks – Richard Bracebridge
Manufacturer and Installer: Asona Ltd – Neil Ridgway
Project: 300 ASB Queen Street – completed 1/4/2015