A new building that replaces the Ex Brown Arcades

(and some citydevelopment ideas for Avarua Uptown)

(the existing building is rotten and has been facing major damages by last hurrican)

Building Description for the "Cornerhouse":

A multipurpose concrete building that can provide rooms and spaces for shops, offices

and penthouseliving on second floor. - A solid construction that fits to site and into time.

"The Gap" is a must because natural daylight only goes in 5 to max. 7 meters into rooms.

The site is that big approx. 1700 sqm, that it has to be divided from a citybuilding view.

"The Gap" creates big views, urban shopping passage feeling and contains the staircase.

Ground Floor :

PC Shop with Internetfacilities - Papershop - Island Surf - Island Bar plus an additional

shop, restaurant / cafe. - Total Space : 399,67 sqm + 557,87 sqm = 957,54 sqm (100 %)

(Ground floor contains Roomspace : 228,80 sqm + 410,00 sqm = 638,80 sqm) (66,71%)

First Floor :

PC workshops - Matian Travel Ltd. - Romani & Goebel Architects Ltd. (in Corneroffice)

Total Space : 193,35 sqm + 328,21 sqm = 521,56 sqm (100 %)

(1 st floor contains Roomspace : 188,50 sqm + 78,39 sqm = 266,89 sqm) (51,17 %)

in this floor roomefficency drops but beauty and intelligence rise up to worldstandards !

Second Floor :

2 penthouseflats (that depends on the market situation. What is required ?)

Total Space : 289,29 sqm (100 %) (including flag poles and heat insulation layer)

(2 nd floor contains Roomspace 156,98 sqm) (54,26 %)

Squaremeters overall and a comment :

Total covered space = 1.768,39 sqm (the space under the roofs)

Total room space = 1.062,67 sqm (within walls, rooms that can be looked)

these sqm information doesn´t include stairs, staircases and "The Gap"

More roomefficency (compared to total space) would mean : installing climatization

that consumes power and shorten the roofoverlaps. - An open question to all ...

Construction of the "Cornerhouse" :

A "real concrete building" casted to "one piece" by the columns and ceilings.

The wall are precasted horizontaly. That ensures quality and reduces costs.

- All concrete parts will be reinforced vertical and horizontal by armour steel.

- The staircases are a mix between concrete and steel for not closing the gap.

Private / Public Relationes :

The existing siteplan marking up the private and public land is very wild and

should be redrawn to ensure a good building and a good city development !

The architects work is based on a siteplan dated 10.06.77 by M. Cummings

(Inst Sht 1031/77 - Comps. Bk 168 p. 8 - Field Book No. 175 Page 39 - 1:750)

- If the private owner wants to get the 40,54 sqm in front of the building back,

it might be good to offer to pay a new busstation in front of the "Cornerhouse"

If that is not enough it might be good to offer a pedestrianflyover in front of

the "Cornerhouse" that is going to be build sooner or later anyway there ...

Colors in the drawing and their meanings :

red = site is owned by Brown (L.692 Pt 72 D given space 1695 sqm)

(the architect followed M.Cummings plan and the computer measurement

gives out 1.700 sqm. That can be caused by the not geometricly defined

coastline. Only a "microflightphoto" can help to find out the real sqm´s)

orange = site is owned by Brown but it is part of the 7 mtr. wide foreshore

reserve, that means it is private land but there is public interest on it )

grey = site is owned by the public (the Cook Islanders) mainly the road.

there is also light grey and green for the neightbourhoodland. Shopnames

are given to identify. (the architects need a mircroflightphoto to describe

the environment to verify the first building proposal with the environment)

The given plans are showing the first drafts. A building idea that has to be

developed further on with the client and the future tennants. We can´t decide

begin the building until at least 2 further development steps are undertaken !

Why there is so much environmentplanning given :

Because the environmental situation in uptown avarua needs townplanning.

(Only a small part of the environmental changes have to be payed by Brown)

As it doesn´t make any sense to change the mainroadpath that Avarua Centre

becomes a fast motorway, we rather propose to keep the existing situation !

It might be a progress towards an urban city on a beautyfull (holiday) Island

to have a new busstation with busbay and to provide a 2nd pedestrianflyover.

Avarua Uptown got a big urban place. An urban quality that we should keep and

develop further on. The architects propose to have a few trees that can be

planted in big enough round shaped greenspots where locals and tourists

can sit on wood on the edges to enjoy the great views onto urban life. Thanks.

How a 3 storie high building fit into Avarua Uptown :

The proposed 3 storie high building fits into time (and future) because it shows

a carefull 3 storie high capital skyline. - As every storie steps back it doesn´t

darken the sky like high buildings do elsewhere. As there are windows given

at the 1 st floor of the TJ´s building there will be only a ground floor level with

wall to wall contact possibel. With it´s roofoverlaps (keeping the fassade cool) and

accessable roofs the new building provides good indoor and outdoor shopping

and living. As this building type lasts for 50 years, and if the conrete sceleton

is carryed out propperly it can be renovated then for another 30 years in use.

The monthly rent for all tennants and the business plan should be defined

having so a longterm of use in mind. (Expensive Start but very long run ...)

The architects began on 3 rd of january - the hurrican destroyed on the 6 th of february :

Looking at the major damage that has been caused on site by the hurrican and the waves,

it is time to better the costal protection up to an urban level. Therefore the architects propose

a 1,10 mtr. high concrete wall in an L shape form (turn the L 180° please) similar to the

protection wall used at the airportcurve of the mainroad. This wall will have to be burried

2,9 meters deep in the ground without touching the existing costal protection bloulders and

without the need to work, that means to cast concrete in the water. The waves want to hit

the site, the L- shaped concrete hits the waves back. - It is that simple but it costs money.

The proposed building can´t be "hurt" or destroyed by the waves, but windows can break

and the ground floor level can be flooded. The three steps high level of 0,51 mtr. helps a

bit not to have the water again inside but it is also a horizontal barrier for all people who

want to come for shopping. The ground floor tennants should decide the 0,51 mtr. question.

How to find enough money to bring the building up :

All today and future tennants should be provided with the three major drawings and involved

in finding the money. Longtermcontracts (10 years) and storieleases for 50 years should

be undertaken. The major investor should be the Brown family as the landholders. But they

should let participate the tennants (and theirs banks) by selling them 50 year lasting Leasing-

contracts for propperly defined sqm spaces of the new building. - Together we are stronger !

Information politics : (here the word politics is given - dangerous workfield)

We should give information via Romanisdesign.com to the public. Architecture has to be

discussed before it comes to the building. (Afterwards it is always a bit to late therefore)

We should provide data to TM Heather to make them know what kind of buildings are

in the pipeline. (The architects can pay them a visit and take a USB stick with them)

We should provide "one picture in black and white" and a "small factsheet" to all

newspapers to inform the Islanders that there are buildings in the pipeline. - But !

All that requires that the paying client is with us in these ideas. - For not having any

problems later on we should provide information as early as possibe to authoritys.

So far for the "Knowledge Situation" and "the ideas" on February the 7 th / 2005

We invested 110 hours work in this first building proposal (on our own risk)

Dipl. Ing. Volker Goebel for Romanisdesign Ltd.

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