New Standards Set for Sustainable Buildings

New Standards Set for Sustainable Buildings

Three properties last night awarded at the annual Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards have set new standards for sustainability.

The NZi3 Innovation Institute, University of Canterbury, won an excellence award in the Resene Green Building Property Award category.

Judges (in the NZGBC Technical Committee) said the building was an exciting demonstration of how an integrated design approach with sustainability at its core can deliver an exceptional outcome.

The design brief sought a building that conveyed the spirit of innovation underpinning NZi3 and judges said the innovation displayed in the building responded strongly – creating an environment that fostered creativity and encouraged communication.

Its environmentally sustainable features include solar shading by passive and active elements, an environmentally-focussed selection of materials, phase change material to reduce cooling needs, mixed mode environmental control utilising under floor air distribution (UFAD) and under floor heating (integrated with the active facades), intelligent lighting control and daylight harvesting and rainwater collection and reuse.

The judges were impressed with the extremely well integrated and complementary environmentally sustainable systems, successfully achieving good acoustic performance and natural ventilation, resulting in a building that presented a benchmark for others to follow.

Two buildings received a Merit Award in the Resene Green Building Property Award, the Deloitte Centre in Queen Street, Auckland and Aorangi House in Wellington.

Genuine green credentials

The Deloitte Centre is a five-star Green Star Office building and a leader in the market with respect to the scale of the environmentally sustainable design features implemented.

The materials selected, energy and water use and waste management were given careful design attention and judges said the retention and restoration of the key features of the historic Jean Batten Building added to the achievement.

Judges said the Deloitte Centre was a great example of a premium office tower with genuine green credentials. Judges considered the building set a new standard for a commercial building in Auckland’s CBD.

The building represented the convergence of premium grade office standard and five-star aspirations, they said.

Unfashionable to desirable

Aorangi House was awarded a Merit Award in the Resene Green Building category for demonstrating how an unfashionable building from a past era could be refurbished into a desirable environmentally sustainable building with a new lease of life.

The building’s exterior was reclad and externally insulated to its full 12-storey height. Sun louvers, while providing solar shading, also allowed good daylight penetration and external views. The building uses mixed mode environmental control, mostly based on natural ventilation with a supplementary cooling system.

Judges said the building provided a very good direction for the Wellington market of how a building can be refurbished to become a good quality green building, without resorting to full HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) solutions.

At a cocktail reception and gala dinner in the Langham Hotel’s Great Room, in Auckland last night, 750 guests celebrated outstanding commercial property projects developed in New Zealand despite challenging economic times.

Chief Judge John Dunn said as expected in the current economic climate, there were fewer entries this year but the quality of submissions and developments was very high.

“Despite the Global Financial Crisis the quality and consistency of submissions were excellent across all categories this year – more so than previous years.”

BACKGROUND:

Submissions for the awards are open to both members and non-members of Property Council New Zealand. Entries go through a rigorous, 12-week process in which ten judges review each submission, setting it against detailed criteria. Judging also involves site visits.

Submissions needed to show economic and financial data and were judged on the return on investment, operation and maintenance factors, the degree of difficulty, environmentally sustainable features and urban design principles.

For example, entries needed to show innovation in architectural or engineering design, the efficiency of structure and construction materials and quality of external and internal design and finishes.

Operational factors included air conditioning systems and the quality of building services such as lighting, lifts, security and fire protection. The ability to cope with changes in technology and a positive contribution to the built environment were all considered.

The Supreme Award is the most coveted, presented to the very best from excellence awards in all categories.

Excellence Awards go to specific properties that in the judges’ opinions, best meet the judging criteria. These awards are not always made in every category or limited to one per category.

Merit Awards go to properties with a special distinction or element that deserves recognition.

2010 WINNERS:

Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Award

NZI Centre (Newcrest Group)

Commercial Office Property Award

Excellence:

Deloitte Centre (Brookfield Multiplex)

NZI Centre (Newcrest Group)

Merit:

Aorangi House (Beca)

Coffey Education and Arts Property Award

Excellence:

Te Puni Village (Architectus and Aurecon and Hawkins Construction)

City Gallery Wellington (Wellington City Council)

Diocesan School for Girls Aquatic Centre (MPM Projects)

NZi3 Innovation Institute, University of Canterbury (Warren and Mahoney, and Beca)

Merit:

Te Whanau o Tupuranga School (Jasmax)

Hawkins Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award

Excellence:

City Gallery Wellington (Wellington City Council)

Trends Publishing Industrial Property Award

Excellence:

Schneider Electric Building (Highbrook Development)

Auckland City Council Mixed Use Property Award

Merit:

Carlaw Park Commercial Precinct (McDougall Reidy & Co; Haydn & Rollett Construction; Warren and Mahoney)

Te Ahi, Post Office Precinct (Ngai Tahu Property)

RCG Retail Property Award

Excellence:

Westfield Riccarton (Westfield New Zealand)

Special Purpose Property Award

Excellence:

Birkenhead Library and Civic Centre (Archoffice/RDT Pacific, Mainzeal Property and Construction)

High Performance Rowing Centre, Karapiro (Arrow International)

Wellington Hospital, Newtown Campus (Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner, CCM Architects, Dunning Thornton Consultants)

Merit:

Braemar Hospital (Braemar Hospital)

Holmes Consulting Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award

Excellence:

Queenstown Aquatic Centre (renamed ‘Alpine Aqualand’) (ASC Architects)

Merit:

The Pacific (MPM Projects)

Natural Habitats Landscapes Urban Land Developments Award

Excellence:

Chews Lane Apartments (Willis Bond & Co)

Stonefields Stage Two (Todd Property Group)

Resene Green Building Property Award

This award is supported by the New Zealand Green Building Council

Excellence:

NZi3 Innovation Institute, University of Canterbury (Warren and Mahoney, and Beca)

Merit:

Deloitte Centre (Brookfield Multiplex)

Aorangi House (Beca)

Judges:

1. John Dunn, Principal, John Dunn Property Consultancy Ltd

2. Paul Keane, Executive Chairman, Retail Consulting Group

3. Sean Molloy, Director, Valuation Services, Darroch Ltd

4. Ron McDonald, Director, Valuation Services, Colliers International

5. Max Russell, Director, Max Russell Consultancy Ltd

6. Clinton Bird, Director, Clinton Bird Urban Design Ltd

7. Neil Purdie, Executive, Head of Mechanical, Aurecon

NB: The NZGBC Technical Committee judges the Resene Green Building category

ENDS

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