Woolloomooloo Wharf Shed Exemplar

Woolloomooloo has done some pretty amazing things with this wharf shed. It used to be a dilapidated wharf warehouse with a street running though it. Now it's the hip W Hotel. As the magazine "Urbis" describes this place: "...the overwhelming first impression is of a huge amount of space and a riot of bright primary colours..." The project came into being after a group of designers had been given the daunting task of turning a century old waterfront warehouse on Finger Wharf on Sydney's waterfront, into a hip and modern hotel and apartment complex. In fact that's what Princes Wharf is now: basically a hotel, apartments, and part of the space used for "Port of Call" facilities for cruise ship visits. Instead for Princes Wharf the decision was made to demolish most of the old buildings, and erect some new - higher ones. Seems the complex is now subject to leaky building syndrome....

It appears that the furniture chosen is modern, at odds with the ancient, industrial surrounds, the timber ceiling and corrugated iron walls. Sounds like the structure these guys worked with here is a bit like the sheds on Queens Wharf: corrugated iron; cast iron framing; and interior timber lining....

The wharf space for the project is different than we have out on Queens Wharf. But it's important to note that this is a finger wharf - like Queens Wharf - and the buildings are almost exactly the same age and condition as the sheds on Queens Wharf. These pictures are just here for those who think demolition is the only option for Queens Wharf. Sure there are those who say (and I've heard them), "why do we need to do what other waterfronts have done. Why do we need to copy Capetown or Sydney. Can't we do something different...." Actually, Auckland has its own history and its own heritage (not very much left mind you), but it is ours. It needs to be treasured and celebrated. Not denigrated and demolished. If it's good enough to restore and conserve old wooden railway stations, it's even more essential that we maintain, restore and adapt our waterfront heritage buildings. To support conservation of railways station buildings, but not waterfront maritime buildings, seems arbitrary - if not two-faced.