Chambers and fire station conversion wins major PCNZ award
20 June 2017
A major building conversion project and a new build in Auckland have taken top honours in the multi-unit category of the Property Council New Zealand Awards.
The Chambers and Station development, formerly the Mt Eden Council Chambers and Fire Station, won the Best in Category award, while The Dylan Apartments on the Grey Lynn ridge won the Excellence Award.
In announcing the award for judges praised the Chambers and Station development for the way it “cleverly preserves two historic, culturally and architecturally significant heritage buildings”.
The buildings, which have been converted into six luxury apartments, were “finished to an exceptional standard, despite the adaptations required for a drastically new use”.
The $15 million refurbishment, by Templeton Limited and an investment group led by Warwick Goldsmith and Jackie Gillies, spared no expense to restore the original character of the building.
Project director Nigel McKenna said much of the refurbishment has been crafted by hand. “We had an plasterer working on the interior fibrous plaster restoration for nine months, and another plasterer working on the exterior for a whole year.”
The original windows have been retained, but the glass has painstakingly been replaced with double glazing, with every pane needing to be worked on by hand.
Structural elements have been exposed where appropriate and incorporated into the aesthetics of the apartments.
The judges said The Dylan Apartments was a “clever and well-designed apartment building, providing extensive views and high-quality apartments, with spacious layouts, high floor-to-floor heights and excellent indoor-outdoor flow”.
“The Dylan meets the needs of the population, from empty-nesters to young professionals, and has set the standard for future medium rise apartment buildings.”
The full list of winners in the 2017 Property Council New Zealand Awards is as follows:
RIDER LEVETT BUCKNALL SUPREME AWARD
Sistema Manufacturing Facility (Auckland)
ARROW INTERNATIONAL MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY AWARD
Chambers and Station (Auckland) – Best in Category
The Dylan Apartments (Auckland) – Excellence
55 Symonds Street (Auckland) – Merit
Boulcott Conference Suites & Apartments (Wellington) – Merit
GIB EDUCATION AND PROPERTY AWARD
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School – Te Manawa o te Kura (Wellington) – Best in Category
AUT Building MH (Auckland) – Excellence
Te Ara o Mauao, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology (Tauranga) – Excellence
Haeata Community Campus (Christchurch) – Merit
Rolleston College (Christchurch) – Merit
St Andrews College Centennial Chapel (Christchurch) – Merit
Tarawera High School (Kawerau) – Merit
HOLMES CONSULTING GROUP TOURISM AND LEISURE PROPERTY AWARD
Adina Hotel (Auckland) – Best in Category
Vector Wero Whitewater Park (Auckland) – Excellence
RCG RETAIL PROPERTY AWARD
Whangaparaoa Retail Centre (Auckland) – Merit
YARDI INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY AWARD
Sistema Manufacturing Facility (Auckland) – Best in Category
Big Chill Supersite (Auckland) – Excellence
Coca Cola Amatil (Auckland) – Excellence
Emerson’s Brewery and Taproom (Dunedin) – Merit
Red Stag Timber Sawmill (Rotorua) – Merit
The Warehouse Limited South Island Distribution Centre (Christchurch) – Merit
WARREN AND MAHONEY CIVIC AND ARTS PROPERTY AWARD
Len Lye Centre & Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (New Plymouth) – Best in Category
ASB Waterfront Theatre (Auckland) – Excellence
Manu Tukutuku – Randwick Park Pavillion (Auckland) – Merit
Redcliffs Library (Christchurch) – Merit
FAGERHULT NZ HEALTH AND MEDICAL PROPERTY AWARD
Manaaki by Mercy (Dunedin) – Best in Category
Burwood Hospital Redevelopment (Christchurch) – Excellence
St John Christchurch Ambulance Hub (Christchurch) – Merit
HAWKINS HERITAGE AND ADAPTIVE REUSES PROPERTY AWARD
Australis Nathan Buildings (Auckland) – Best in Category
Chambers and Station (Auckland) – Excellence
Mason Bros (Auckland) – Excellence
Good Union (Cambridge) – Merit
St Kevin’s Arcade (Auckland) – Merit
The Christchurch Club (Christchurch) – Merit
NATURAL HABITATS URBAN LAND DEVELOPMENTS PROPERTY AWARD
Daventry Street and Tōrea Place (Auckland) – Merit
RCP COMMERCIAL OFFICE PROPERTY AWARD
PwC Centre (Christchurch) – Best in Category\
133 Molesworth Street (Wellington) – Excellence
Australis Nathan Buildings (Auckland) – Merit
Mason Bros (Auckland) – Merit
RESENE GREEN BUILDING PROPERTY AWARD
ASB Waterfront Theatre (Auckland) – Best in Category
New Shoots Children’s Centre & Source Café Pakuranga – Excellence
133 Molesworth Street (Wellington) – Merit
PROPERTY COUNCIL MEMBERS’ LAUREATE – John Dunn