The ASB branch is located deep within an internal space with no windows and a low ceiling, further compressing the space.
Michael Fisher from CPRW Fisher Architects counteracted the existing space constraints by bringing the outside street inside, by choosing the same basalt paving used in the Queen Street upgrades.
Above this, he wished to create the sense of a sky-lit ceiling lantern using daylight, not artificial light and Asona's Triton 40 white acoustic panels provided the intial solution.
By lifting the ceiling as high as physically possible, he created deep coffers which housed concealed daylight-coloured LED tubes. The top of the coffers were lined with Asona’s Triton 40 white acoustic panels to absorb sound and bounce reflective light back down into the space.
The illusion of natural skylights would be created by a series of suspended multi-sized cylinders, grouped together to produce differing light. Asona also provided a material solution with their AO-Gami glass mat composite paper. This appealed to CPRW Fisher, as it gave them the opportunity to work with the paper the same way the Japanese have for centuries.
The AO-Gami paper cylinders that formed the lanterns are suspended on fine wires, giving the illusion the lanterns are suspended in space. This allowed the light to glow around the edges and through the suspended feature, giving a soft, daylight effect.
