This year’s property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Awards celebrate the creative and technical best in building from all perspectives. What part did steel play in these impressive award-winning projects?
Wellington’s Chews Lane Precinct – Supreme Winner & Excellence Awards Winner
Construction of Chews Lane Precinct took place in a challenging urban environment, with very restricted access off Victoria Street. Heritage buildings have been imaginatively restored and retrofitted, and thoroughly contemporary new buildings seamlessly integrated.
The entire project involved two thirds of the city block and encompasses 19 retail stores, 15,000 square metres of office space, steel structured apartments and 200 car parks. The Chews Lane Apartments straddle two 8 floor concrete podia rising 12 levels to 20 floors.
Steel’s part: In the tower apartments ductile structural steel frames provided resistance to wind and seismic loads, while allowing the broadest possible openings to spectacular views. Working in structural steel also resulted in a faster construction programme. MJH Engineering Limited was the fabricator and erector.
Westfield Manukau City – Excellence Winner
The Westfield Shopping Centre expansion at Manukau City was a huge undertaking: 57 shops and kiosks, a Sky City Cinema Complex and on two levels under the cinemas – parking for 360 vehicles, with a separate structural steel car park for another 270 vehicles.
Steel’s part: D&H Steel Construction Limited provided the shop drawings and erected and fabricated a total of 1,800 tonnes of structural steel. Although concrete was considered, steel was the cost-effective and practical choice with its high strength to weight ratio, flexibility, and construction speed factor.
Auckland International Airport – Excellence Winner and Merit Winner.
More than 30 proposals were intensively studied before the best solution for Auckland International Airport’s expansion needs was identified: add a new floor to the existing Pier A. This was accomplished while the airport kept running and more than 17,000 international passengers moved through the pier every day.
Steel’s Part: In such challenging conditions structural steel comes into its own. Whole structural units were assembled in DH Steel’s workshop before being delivered to site, often during odd hours, where they were quickly erected with no interruption to airport operations.
OfficeMax Building – Excellence Winner
The new OfficeMax building at Highbrook Business Park in Auckland was an exercise in raising the quality bar all round, and doing it smartly and cost-effectively. The modern warehouse is almost 15000 square metres with attached office space of over 4000 square metres. In the office section, a full height internal atrium provides natural light is a dramatic architectural feature.
Steel’s Part: The advice of steel fabricator and erector Enterprise Steel Limited was incorporated into the design of this 550 tonne steel structure. The result was an economical structure, a smooth rapid build, and a spacious warehouse/office complex made for minimal maintenance and maximum modernity.
Yealand’s Estate Winery – Merit Winner
Not only was the Yealand’s Winery designed to merge into the beautiful rolling landscape of Seddon (south of Blenheim), but a core strategy was to set the standard for Winery and Industrial “Green Building” in New Zealand. A full treatment facility enables waste to be irrigated back to the grapes without any negative environmental impact.
Steel’s Part: John Jones Steel Limited fabricated and erected 320 tonnes of steel. The stable, energy efficient, and inspiring environment created is sure to contribute to great Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir….
Club Tower – Merit Winner
The Latitude group’s Club Tower in Christchurch is the first office development in the South Island to be certified under Green Star, receiving a 5 Green Star rating under Office Design. The building includes use of recycled steel in the structure, CO2 monitoring and control, and the use of a wide range of environmentally sustainable materials. Club Tower has thirteen levels, with stunning views across Christchurch City to the Southern Alps.
Steel’s Part: John Jones Steel Limited fabricated and erected the steelwork. The ability to recycle steel through many structural lives reduces the environmental impact of building structures.
