Common Ground

The everyday petrol station is in a state of demise. With the introduction of the electric car and the oligopoly that regulates our petrol market, the empty petrol station forecourt has become an increasingly popular fixture in our communities worldwide. The sites of former petrol stations are alarmingly toxic, and as a result they are often left unwanted and completely empty. At best, they’re converted into simple car parks or partially occupied by small retailers.

Closed in 2014, Newtown’s former Caltex station typifies the neglected petrol station typology: a large canopy standing over a forecourt, complimented by a small pavilion, the former shop. The site, like most others, sits distinctly in the centre of its community, within a suburb that is considered one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan populations in the Wellington region.

This research aims to develop a new use for this Newtown site by transforming it into a public space that can accommodate various types of people, activities and events. Common Ground proposes that by using the ideas and techniques of spatial agency and tactical urbanism, the former Newtown petrol station can be transformed into a great public space that is vibrant and dynamic while also being affordable.

The result of this research sees a proposal for the former Newtown petrol station that has been developed using the voices of the Newtown locals. The designed outcome is a flexible, multi-use community facility that grows sequentially as it responds to the social and political conditions of the site. While a transformation plan has been developed, the scheme remains malleable to allow for community change and growth. This research has consequently provided an insight and method that not only addresses the former Newtown petrol station, but petrol stations and empty public spaces more widely.