Inspired by the likes of London’s Borough Market, New York’s Chelsea Market and the domestic success of Ōtautahi’s Riverside Market, new urban precinct Made has opened in the heart of Hamilton East. Developed by Matt and Jaimee Stark and their team at Stark Property (the masterminds behind Panama coworking space and The Riverbank Lanes), Made is the visionary couple’s latest contribution to Kirikiriroa’s ongoing glow-up.
The new precinct takes a somewhat literal approach to its “something for everyone” tagline. There’s the indoor market with fresh produce, bread and butchers, plenty of bars and restaurants, a tap room, a coffee roastery and retail – not to mention the massage clinic, karaoke room, golf simulator and ice cream shops for people and pups. Impressively, all of the tenants (bar one bakery) are brand-new offerings to Hamilton East, as the Starks didn’t want to slow the revitalisation of the CBD by poaching businesses from other properties.
Taking over the old Waikato Regional Council headquarters, the place was transformed with architecture by Edwards White Architects, interior design by Designwell and significant input from the Starks. So, how does one transform a drab municipal building into a happening city hub? Architect Daniel Smith sheds some light on the matter.
Here: What did the place look like before?
Daniel Smith: It was a crazy rabbit warren, classic 1990s interior with teal green, partition walls and dated joinery. It had been awkwardly added onto and renovated over the years, so it’s probably about three or four separate buildings. As an architect, you can usually walk around and understand where you are, but even I got lost.
H: How did you go about reshaping it?
DS: That’s the kicker. We realised early on that we couldn’t attack everything, so we stripped it right back and then worked out the key gathering points and focussed on them. We didn’t really touch the rest of it.
H: Let’s talk about the façade.
DS: The Grey Street entrance had these two big ugly archways. We decided to retain the existing structure but disguise it with a mesh screen backdrop, using the six-metre-tall brass “MADE” lettering as the showstopper. At street level, we wanted a warm, tactile welcome, so we ripped out what was there and replaced it with custom joinery. There was so much work that the joiner ended up setting his mill up onsite.
H: What’s the best bit?
DS: It was all about connecting back to the river. We often turn our back to the water in Hamilton, so this is one area where you can have a drink and interact with the awa.
H: One thing we should try?
DS: The spicy chicken from Crack Chicken is pretty great.
Made
401 Grey Street, Hamilton East, Kirikiriroa Hamilton
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