Mahinga Innovation Hub

Cultivating innovation and enterprise in Northland

Sector

Workplace

Applications

Common areas

Architect

Photographer

Writer

Products used

Advance Flooring

Awake carpet tiles feature a multi-level loop pile with soft, nature-inspired organic accents. This versatile collection serves as a fill colour or subtle accent alongside Wetland tiles. The organic colours and patterns reflect New Zealand's flora and fauna, expanding creative flooring possibilities.

Havelock

Advance Flooring

Havelock carpet tiles feature an organic pattern to introduce a natural flow to interior spaces for a soothing environment. With an extensive colour range, Havelock tiles offer endless design possibilities, allowing you to customise your flooring to match your unique style and vision.

Wetland

Voxflor

Wetland carpet tiles feature a multi-level loop pile with natural colour accents and delicate texture. In neutral hues with soft tints, they create a calm, dynamic feel. Using the same hues as Wetland, the Awake tile expands design options with a natural, textured pattern and soft tones.

The Idea

Grounded in nature

Designed by Eclipse Architecture, the Ngawha Innovation & Enterprise Park is an exciting 240 hectare development outside Kaikohe, Northland. Carpet tiles by Advance Flooring feature throughout.

For the park’s Innovation Hub, the team at Eclipse combined Wetland and Awake carpet tiles from Advance Flooring to create a design that grounds the building within the landscape and contributes to an atmosphere where innovation can flourish.

‘We did extensive research on the landscape and the ecology,’ says Eclipse Director Maurice Langdon and the project architect. ‘There are three distinctive types of soil that surround the park, and these were the basis for all the colours and materials we used, internally and externally.’

THE DESIGN

A palette of natural tones

The combination of Awake and Wetland carpet tiles in greens and golds extends throughout the building, in offices and large open-plan areas and into the cafeteria, imparting a warm, creative feel to the space. ‘They also complemented the timber wall and ceiling panels, which we used through the interior.’ says Senior Architectural Graduate Bethany Bromfield, a member of the design team.

‘It’s a long, single-storey building with windows the length of the façade on the west side,’ continues Maurice. ‘It has a very rural outlook, and you can see how the colours on the floor connect with the surroundings.’

THE OUTCOME

Collaborating for the best results

The tonal variations in the Awake and Wetland range allowed the architects to select different colourways across various buildings in the innovation park, and a long working relationship with Advance meant creating patterns and layouts for the flooring was a simple process.

‘We send Advance the floor plan, then it goes back and forth between them laying out the carpet tiles and ourselves reviewing the design until we’ve got it right,’ says Maurice.

‘For the Innovation Hub, we wanted to make a warm environment where people could create ideas, rather than just a sterile office space,’ says Bethany, ‘and Advance never fail to help us come up with the colours and design we need.’

Bethany Bromfield

Eclipse Architecture

“We selected the carpet tile range specifically because the tones were in keeping with the site’s rural context, and they matched our colour palette.”