2021 property and construction industry honours: Development of the Year

2021 property and construction industry honours

Development of the Year

 

Honoured project: 55 Corinthian Drive, Albany  BNZ North Shore

Reason for selection: The North Shore’s newest green commercial building, combining advanced technology with striking design

 

Office space available for lease on Auckland’s North Shore has long been limited. Daniel Henderson, general manager of Bayleys North Shore Commercial, previously noted that office vacancy rates on the North Shore were low, particularly for better-quality Grade A premises. After the Covid-19 lockdown ended, many businesses chose to move out of the city centre, and demand for high-quality office premises in local centres has shown signs of growth.

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55 Corinthian Drive is the North Shore’s first and only five-star green office building. With distinctive design features, an elegant setting and a focus on people, it has been described by several media outlets as “a stunning commercial office building”.

 

“Five-star” green office building

 

“Our aim was to design and build a five-star green building assessed and recognised by the New Zealand Green Building Council. The building uses natural materials wherever possible, with a design philosophy that emphasises integration with sunlight, nature and vegetation. User comfort and functionality are central, while a suite of intelligent management systems helps reduce energy use and carbon emissions to the lowest practicable levels. In a future that places greater emphasis on environmental protection and sustainable development, high-quality green buildings will undoubtedly appeal to government, businesses and users with a strong social conscience,” said Lawrance Yu, a director of developer APEC Commercial Property Investment Ltd.

 

55 Corinthian Drive is conveniently located in the heart of Albany’s rapidly developing Orchard Park. With nearly 300 indoor car parks, multiple charging points, 26 free indoor motorcycle spaces and 48 bicycle spaces, as well as end-of-trip showers, changing rooms and a rest area, it provides businesses and their employees with an excellent, convenient working environment. Beside State Highway 1, it enjoys expansive views. The car park’s distinctive circular ramp, known as the “Big Pineapple” for its golden bands, also gives prominent exposure to anchor tenant and naming-rights holder BNZ.

 

The main office building has four storeys, including three levels of offices, with a café, medical facilities and a large ACC office and customer service area on the ground floor. An atrium more than 20 metres high connects the office space to a five-storey parking building. Each office floor covers approximately 1630 square metres, with an open-plan design featuring wide, column-free spans of 20 metres and generous ceiling heights. Multi-layered, impact-resistant Low-E façade glazing units standing 4.5 metres high provide abundant natural light.

 

Seismic resilience is another highlight. Given the design requirements for abundant natural light and wide structural spans, alongside continually rising official seismic standards, the design team targeted a New Building Standard (NBS) rating of 150% or higher. This posed numerous challenges for the cast-in-situ concrete structure. Ultimately, what appear to be 2 connected buildings are actually a discreetly integrated combination of 6 independent buildings.

 

Joining forces to build perfection

 

One of the main reasons for the project’s widespread acclaim is that its development and construction were handled throughout by a team of experienced professional consultants and contractors. Ignite Architects was the lead designer for 55 Corinthian Drive, working closely with main contractor MacRennie Commercial Construction, which has more than 30 years of extensive experience on large Auckland projects. Well-known local firms Stephen Mitchell Engineers Ltd, Riley Consultants Ltd, Thurston Consulting Ltd and Soil and Rock Ltd provided engineering services. APEC Property also worked throughout with a Green Star Accredited Consultant to ensure building standards were monitored and implemented.

 

Although the entire development team was highly accomplished, creating the project from scratch was an exceptionally demanding task. It involved painstaking attention to design details; careful consideration of appearance, space and functionality; numerous decisions about materials; and resolving the tension between environmental performance, the best possible appearance and cost, while meeting office needs as fully as possible. Ventilation, electrical and mechanical systems, lighting, the glass curtain wall—nothing was overlooked, whether visible to users or hidden from view. This required enormous effort and time, as well as steadfast conviction and a passion for perfection.

 

“We poured our hearts and souls into this project, so we are very excited about the final result,” said Lawrance Yu. “55 Corinthian Drive meets high building and sustainability ratings and has ultimately become a landmark through its distinctive design. We thank our team and construction partners for their dedication, and the family members supporting them quietly behind the scenes. We also thank the ICBC and CCB teams for their strong support, and everyone in the wider community who has helped us. We look forward to the future and hope to contribute more to the local area and the Chinese community.”