Built between 1886 and 1911, the Imperial Buildings are a rich mix of heritage spaces and building fabric in downtown Auckland. The design creates a new network of circulation through the properties, enabling connection and interaction of previously inaccessible volumes contained within the buildings. The backbone of this strategy is a new laneway for Auckland: Imperial Lane. This ground level connection between the upgraded serviceway Fort Lane and the retail thoroughfare of Queen Street is occupied by street dining. Vertical shafts are cut through the floors above the lane, introducing light into the space and a language of opaque glass and steel to complement the ‘found’ brickwork, timber truss, stone and dilapidated concrete of the original fabric. A vertical connection is made from the middle of the lane - a sculptural staircase accesses a new courtyard on the level above ground.

In 2013 the completed project was awarded New Zealand’s highest architectural award, the New Zealand Architecture Medal.