Working to a master plan
When my grandfather Arthur Bates purchased 205 Station Rd in Penrose in 1953, the property was just bare dirt dotted with a few gardens. An automotive spray painter by trade, he branched out into hand spraying coating onto kitchen wall panels. Later he developed his own customised machinery to do this process mechanically.
That business would soon grow to become AJ Bates Ltd, and today it is Bates Surfaces. Over the last 70 years, we at Bates have always seen ourselves as coating experts who happened to buy property to house our family business. But with a modern UV coatings line installed – one of the largest and most sophisticated in Australasia – we have needed less and less space and consolidated our operation into a single building. So what to do with all these empty drying and storage sheds? We’ve been gradually upgrading them and leasing them out to a new generation of New Zealand businesses.
Right now, the site is a community of 11 warehouses that are home to a variety of industries and tenants, from office and warehousing to product development and manufacture. Working with architects Brown Day Group, we have created a master plan for what Station205 will become: an industrial ‘campus’ united by vision and design, right in the centre of Auckland’s industrial and transport heart, Penrose.
‘The master plan reflects the importance and desirability of Penrose and Station Road as a hub for commercial entrepreneurs,’ says Dean Brown from Brown Day. ‘We’re trying to promote a diverse format – light industrial, warehouse, offices, distribution and storage – so the campus becomes a community of like-minded businesses.’
Our vision is one of unity across the site while allowing each business’s unique identity to shine. ‘The campus and the offices will have a distinctive design character,’ says Brown, ‘with unifying design elements like brise soleils, and the use of materials like iron sand and bronze.’
But the plan covers much more than just unity of design. The overall site organisation has resulted from a thorough analysis of its context, both immediate and wide, and the ergonomics of contemporary commercial business. Prioritising vehicle flows and increased accessibility has been a strong determinant in the configuration of the master plan.
In practice, this means ease of access and parking is key. Says Brown, ‘Tradies want to race in and pick up materials, and if they can’t park their vans, they’ll go to the opposition.’
With factory refurbishments – read about the Archers Building refurb – widened driveways and good truck access, the campus vision is coming to life. There’s a lot more to do, but we’re proud to say that Station205 is definitely proceeding as planned.