At 43 storeys, the St James Apartments is set to make its mark on Auckland City’s skyline. Navigating the heritage value of the site, the St James apartments supports the redevelopment of the St James Theatre, breathing new life and energy into the Queen Street Valley Precinct. Designed by Paul Brown (Director), the architectural response to site and brief is dynamic; a playful nod to its historical context, the rational city grid and the process of cultural displacement, and erasure – creating architectures that juxtapose, creating legibility between the old and the new. ⁠⁠

The proposed tower forms a series of distinct elements working in symbiosis. The base is urban in its form, representing the city grid as an organising structure, reinforcing the traditional street edge whilst connecting in form and material to the tower above. The heritage entry to the St James is celebrated, with the surrounding built form accentuating its presence. The transition between the base and the tower erodes and distorts specificities of the site. The tower itself is organic in its form, referencing the stream that crossed the site prior to the development of the city and the underlying topography the site.

⁠⁠Comprising of 476 well-appointed and thoughtfully planned apartments, generous resident’s amenities including a pool, theatre, function rooms, lounge facilities, gym and bar, the St James Apartments will set a new benchmark to inner city apartment living. ⁠⁠