Adaptive reuse of old office building unlocks potential as high-end apartments

The greenest building is the one that's already built' sage words for our times and taken to heart in this adaptive reuse project developed by Tawera Group and delivered by Naylor Love Construction. The solutions-focused approach employed by Naylor Love contributed to a smooth-running build, delivered ahead of deadline.

Sitting in a prominent central Auckland location with stunning views across the harbour and CBD, the former Telecom head office was showing its age, says Naylor Love project manager Patrick Kavanagh.

"This project saw us convert the tired 15-storey office building into a thoroughly modern 20-level mixed-use development, with 14 storeys of luxury apartments, four floors of car parking and two of contemporary office space," says Kavanagh.

"Our early involvement from the pre-construction phase led to our team identifying strategies to overcome any potential issues relating to buildability, the programme and the procurement of materials. This, along with our ongoing solutions-focused, collaborative approach, contributed greatly to the smooth running of the build. We were very pleased to complete this two-year project to the highest quality standards, on budget and two weeks early."

Naylor Love's first task was to refurbish the offices of the existing commercial tenant, who moved down from the top of the building to the 5th and 6th floors and stayed on-site throughout.

"We then stripped back the building and strengthened the existing structure with carbon fibre wrapping and structural steel both to enable it to carry the weight of the extra floors to come, and also to meet current seismic standards. We then added five floors to the top of the building, as well as extending the floor area of the existing building all the way up from level seven to the top."

Facade works followed, with new cladding and aluminium joinery, and reconfigured balconies. Once the building was watertight Naylor Love began the interior works, including building and fitting out the 122 high-spec apartments on the upper levels. The well-appointed apartments range from 75m² to 400m², and share access to a media room and a contemporary gymnasium.

In addition, the lower parking levels on the Hereford Residences were extensively refurbished, featuring a new layout and exit, upgraded fire egress and stairwells, and new lifts.

"With the scaffold and scrim-wrapped building visible from all over the city, the project became quite a showcase for the developer and consultants," says the project manager. "We even hosted a group of safety inspectors from the Pacific Islands who were in Auckland on a training programme organised by WorkSafe New Zealand and UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO)."

With the building completed in May 2017, Naylor Love is now busy with two other projects for Tawera Group in the same block. These involve adding two extra levels of office space to the car parking building adjacent to Hereford Residences with a tennis court and pool on top for the connecting apartments; and refurbishing existing character buildings into offices, retail and the first New Zealand showroom and service centre for electric car maker Tesla on Karangahape Rd.

John Love, principal of Tawera Group, says the firm was delighted with the quality finishes achieved both inside and out at Hereford Residences.

"The team at Naylor Love was always a pleasure to deal with and was committed to producing the best outcome for the new homeowners.

"The engagement by Naylor Love started from the top down, with director Scott Watson and CEO Rick Herd focusing their team from the outset, and continuing a hands-on approach right through to completion, and even the post-handover phase.

"The staff on the ground each day were also very professional, courteous and a pleasure to deal with. The Naylor Love team should serve as an example of a best practice in the industry," Love says.

For details, contact Naylor Love Construction Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury, Dunedin and Central Otago. Email: enquiries@naylorlove.co.nz, web: www.naylorlove.co.nz

Story by: Trendsideas