First Flight - Auckland International Airport
Auckland International Airport is strategically located on the eastern edge of an isthmus of the North Island of New Zealand, where the topography unfolds into the rugged coastline. This is the region where the Maori first arrived in waka canoes from Polynesia, transforming the landscape through the cultivation of tropical plants in stone-lined excavations that became a sacred typology. Centuries later, European immigrants further modified the landscape with the cultivation of orchards and timber trees. They, too, protected the crops from the harsh climate with layered plantings of strict hedgerows. Both the Maori and European settlers dramatically shaped the Auckland and broader New Zealand landscape.
The airport landscape is an expression of this engagement of people and land, and it celebrates the multiple histories of New Zealand’s vernacular landscapes. Stone mounds that reference Maori stonesfields rise from the ground; a datum of hedgerows overlays these mounds, creating a simplified groundplane from which the greater Auckland landscape—both urban and volcanic—can be read with a newfound clarity. The earthforms serve a dual purpose as they address on-site soils remediation and stormwater treatment, part of a larger ecological mission of the airport.
Smaller, stone ‘blades’ reference the motion of a jet engine, and emphasize the excitement of arrival, travel, and cinematic choreography—of planes, cars, bicycles—through the airport landscape. Native New Zealand grasses soften the blades and connect them to the regional landscape. A spectrum of colors are pulled from the dramatic New Zealand landscape, from Hukafalls to the volcanoes in Auckland, and projected on the stone blades—welcoming travelers to the landscape of the country as they arrive.
Location: Manukau City, New Zealand
Status: Completed 2014
Project Type: Urban Design
Client: Auckland International Airport LTD.
Collaborators: Harrison Grierson, Bespoke Landscape, Natural Habitats, Dempsey Wood
Photography: Blake Marvin
Awards
ASLA National Honor Award, 2021
The Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards, 2020
Finalist, Rosa Barba Award, 2023
Materials re-use was a primary design mandate. The berms were created with fill dirt from site grading. Native materials and traditional New Zealand gardening practices influence the landforms and plantings—and make the landscape distinctive from land and air.
The gateway between The Landing and AKL along George Bolt Memorial Drive is called First (F)light because New Zealand is in the time zone where each new day begins. The design presents a memorable first impression of Auckland from the air, achieving the goal of emphasizing New Zealand’s landscape heritage as part of its national identity.
The Auckland International Airport (AKL) long-term growth strategy balances industrial expansion with planned greenspaces, emphasizing materials re-use. Surfacedesign began the project in 2007 and is continuing to collaborate on AKL’s plan for ecologically conscientious growth through 2044.
