The Swanson RSA was initially built in 1946 and was situated on the fringes of the then growing Waitakere Region of Auckland City - New Zealand. This would later come back to haunt the offering. It had had various up-grades throughout the years, culminating in approx 450m2 of building in approx 1999.

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Pure Design was approached by the RSA Executive Committee with a very unique challenge. They were very clear about what they wanted to achieve, increasing the membership of the RSA while remaining faithful to the history of the club and in the design language of the residential area that had grown around the existing club site, so as to blend into the neighbourhood. However the offering didn't meet the "new" zoning and was a difficult fit into the community that had grown around it. It was already too big and loud for it's residential neighbours, yet the Executive Committee wanted it bigger.

 

Pure Design took that basic idea and set about achieving the best design solution for the problems we were presented with. This solution included the formation of a natural amphitheatre to both identify the main entrance, provide covered access into the building and to act as a presentation stage for the large annual ANZAC Day ceremonies that the Swanson RSA is known for. It was also the new site for the honour wall for remembering the fallen members amongst the tranquil sound of the water feature and garden.

 

In addition we created a 200 seat fine dining restaurant overlooking the Redwoods Golf Course with full commercial kitchen and service areas, a 300 seat conference facility with the latest AV seminar tools available including a large three station service bar using a singular timber member milled from a large Redwood tree from the golf course behind some 25 years earlier, a new members' bar area "The Engine Room"  onto a new large decking bar also overlooking the Golf Course. There was a solution provided for a private and very successful pokies area creating a living memorial wall internally and provided updates to the existing Sports Bar.

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This was all achieved without creating any further disruption to the community, and in fact the RSA has become an asset to the Swanson Community as a whole, an achievement that was recognised by becoming a finalist in the ADNZ Regional Awards for the "Best Commercial" Building Awards.

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