Auckland, 14 June 2024: – The University of Auckland’s B201 Redevelopment has been awarded the Resene Sustainable Building Property Award at the prestigious Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards tonight. This event which was held at Spark Arena is Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious property awards programme.
The Resene Sustainable Building Property Award has been commended by judges as one of the fastest growing categories with a significant number of entries and awards this year, making B201’s winning achievement even more of a standout.
The genesis for this project came from acknowledging that the existing facility was no longer appealing to students and therefore not being used to its full potential. The 50-year-old Social Sciences building included extensive partitioning, limited natural light, end of life carbon-based building services and a poor earthquake rating, meaning it was no longer fit-for-purpose.
The forward-thinking development team pitched a visionary adaptive reuse of the existing concrete frame whilst developing new infrastructure and a façade. The redesign prioritised creating a generous opening to Symonds Street and linking Symonds with Wynyard Street below. New entries, lifts and stairs now connect the Waipapa Marae and the Fale Pasifika with the academic precinct on Symonds Street.
Now serving as a gateway to the cultural heart of the University’s City Campus, the site has been totally transformed into a world-leading educational environment for the faculties of Education and Social Work, Arts, and Creative Arts and Industries.
Emerging in the early stages of the development was a clear opportunity to exceed the 5 star Green Star rating that B201 would have achieved based on the University’s longstanding commitment to sustainable building practices. However, the team sought a 6 star Green Star rating. This ambitious goal subsequently steered every major design decision towards minimising embodied carbon and operational energy.
The sustainability benefits of the development are multi-faceted. The project reduces embodied carbon, energy consumption, carbon emissions, and water usage. The retention of the existing concrete structural frame right through to the replacement of the existing gas boilers with two-stage heat pumps and new façade, contributed significantly towards the 50% reduction in Lifecycle Carbon (A1–C4 & B6). This is also expected to contribute to a significant reduction in operational carbon and supported the decarbonisation of adjacent buildings within the sector.
Innovative materials have played a crucial role in B201, such as carbon fibre, renowned for its lightweight and high-strength properties. Significant operating plant decarbonisation has been achieved through an innovative two stage heat pump system that serves B201 plus two adjacent buildings in the precinct. Designed by the engineers, the system is the first of its kind in Aotearoa, yielding savings in use up to 940,00kWh/year.
Property Industry Awards chief judge Andrew Evans said, “There is a notable demand for educational facilities across the country, and it’s encouraging to see many of these projects prioritising sustainable practices in recognition that it is the right thing to do, but also the expectation of users and occupiers. What is outstanding about the B201 Redevelopment, is that virtually every element of the project has embodied this, with teams not only employing world-class techniques, but creating them too.”
The building’s cultural impact has also been met with a great deal of care and consideration. A prominent feature is the magnificent Ara Moana design in the glue-laminated timber roof adorning the atrium, embracing the voluminous space which embodies the cultural story through lines and patterns expressed in the woodwork.
The redevelopment of B201 has completely revitalised the building and transformed how it is used by the University. It provides a streamlined connection between existing facilities across the precinct and offers opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between all those who work, learn, research, teach and socialise within it.
Having already picked up several awards, B201 has now established a new benchmark for sustainable buildings in Aotearoa with the redevelopment achieving the highest Green Star rating to date (93 out of 100 points). The new building will operate as a living laboratory and educational resource for the research, monitoring and teaching of the performance of the various sustainability initiatives and renewable energy measures incorporated into the design.
ENDS
Resene Sustainable Building Property Award
Best in Category: B201 Redevelopment
- Owner/developer: Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
- Construction: Hawkins
- Architect: Jasmax
- Structural/mechanical engineer: Beca
- Service engineer: Beca, Pacific Commissioning and Coordination (ICA)
- Building enclosure engineer: Thermosash
- Quantity surveyor: Barnes Beagley Doherr
- Project manager: Precon
- Cultural consultants: Haumi
- Environmentally Sustainable Design:Beca
Excellence:
- 3 Te Kehu Way, Auckland
- 8 Willis Street & Stewart Dawson’s Corner, Wellington
- LowCO, Auckland
- Stantec Building, Auckland
- Tāwharau Lane , Auckland
- Te Kī a Alasdair Apartments, Wellington
- Te Whare Whakatere – Ashburton Library and Civic Centre, Ashburton
- Tuhiraki – AgResearch Lincoln Headquarter Building, Lincoln
Merit:
- 6-8 Munroe Lane, Auckland
- Hillmorton Specialist Mental Health Services, Christchurch
- Waiata Shores Neighbourhood Centre, Auckland
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