The newly refurbished Qantas International Business Lounge at Auckland Airport is designed as a calm, grounded retreat that reflects a distinctly New Zealand sense of place.

The Qantas International Business Lounge at Auckland Airport has been reimagined as a welcoming, human-centred retreat that reflects a distinctly New Zealand sense of place.

Located upstairs after security, the lounge transforms the typical airport waiting experience into something more grounded and restorative. The brief centred on creating a calm, comfortable environment that encourages passengers to pause, relax and reset before their journey. Through a careful balance of materiality, lighting and planting, the space shifts from a high-traffic transit zone into a series of connected, inhabitable environments.

Planting plays a defining role in shaping both the atmosphere and experience of the lounge.

Drawing on the textures and layering of the New Zealand bush, the scheme uses a curated mix of bold palms, soft ferns and varied leaf forms to create depth and visual richness. Moss and bark toppings introduce additional tactility, reinforcing a natural, grounded aesthetic. Feature green walls act as focal points, while integrated planting throughout joinery and shelving ensures a consistent, immersive experience.

This layered approach softens the architectural framework, improves acoustic comfort and creates moments of intimacy within a larger open plan, allowing guests to move fluidly between spaces while maintaining a sense of calm.

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Species selection was guided by a desire to capture local authenticity while ensuring longevity within a high-use environment.

Planting was carefully curated to reflect native New Zealand landscapes, with combinations of textures and forms that mimic the bush rather than replicate it literally. The use of resilient species, combined with moss and bark detailing, creates a robust yet refined composition that will continue to evolve over time.

Across the lounge, greenery is embedded into the spatial experience — from bar areas to dining zones — reinforcing a cohesive design language. The result is a layered, biophilic environment that balances functionality with a strong sense of place, offering travellers a restorative pause within the airport context.