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New Zealand’s First World Leadership Green Building

18 December 2009

A new standard of green building has been set by the Geyser building in Parnell, Auckland.

The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) is proud to announce New Zealand’s first 6 Green Star - Office Design certified rating has been achieved by Samson Corporation for the Geyser building. 

"A 6 Star certified rating represents world leadership in the Green Star building rating system, which was developed to assess environmentally sustainable design initiatives,"says NZGBC Chief Executive, Jane Henley.

"The Geyser project highlights how far green building has come in New Zealand since Green Star launched in 2007. And Geyser’s 6 Star rating for Office Design sets an exciting new benchmark for the way buildings are designed and built," she says.

"This achievement reflects the growth of the Council and its members and the ability of the industry to deliver world leading green buildings for the benefit of tenants, investors and indeed all New Zealanders."

Ms Henley said that while much of the focus tends to be on easily measured benefits such as energy and water savings, just as important is the quality of the working and living environment of green buildings, boosting productivity, reducing absenteeism and acting a major draw card for tenants. 

Samson Corporation General Manager, Marco Creemers, says Green Star ratings are a natural progression for their business and meeting the challenge took significant effort from all parties involved.

"We think green building practices are the future. Achieving the first 6 Green Star certification for Geyser is a result of doing things differently with a more thought to choices during the design process."

Geyser was designed by Patterson Architects Ltd. Tricia Love Consultants and Medland Metropolis provided Green Star NZ Accredited Professional Services.

Scott Hodges, Project Engineer, Medland Metropolis says the building is designed to:

• use 27% of the energy of a typical retail/office building of its size;
• require only half the artificial lighting of a typical retail/office building (6 watts per square metre)
  
• use only half the water of a typical retail/office building of its size;
  
• provide 100% fresh air to occupants (as compared with the average of 25% for air-conditioned buildings in New Zealand), and
  
• have 70% of its building waste recycled 

Andrew Patterson of Patterson Associates Ltd says the achievement was a collaborative effort.

"Dozens of people from a huge range of disciplines were involved, from structural engineers, electrical engineers, hydraulic service designers, mechanical and façade engineers all working in collaboration. We wanted to make Geyser holistic, not just about accommodation and technical performance but also about expressing an Auckland sense of place for people," says Patterson.

The building will have 5040 square metres of primarily office space, set above a 180 vehicle automated car park stacking system and is due for completion in 2011.

Geyser's Green Features

Geysers' floor plates are divided into five individual sub-buildings set around a system of atriums with pedestrian linkages. This maximises natural daylight penetration into, and exterior views out from, the majority of the spaces.

Each 'sub building' is wrapped in a dynamic 3-dimensional semi-reflective white twin walled façade. This technology creates natural heating and cooling ventilation by way of thermal currents rising up through the void spaces between the two walls.

It naturally heats each building by trapping warm air between the two walls in the winter, significantly minimizing heat losses overnight and 'pre-warming' outside air during the day. 

In the hottest months the entire outer skin opens electronically to fully ventilate the cavity by creating cross convection currents from the cooler Southern elevations of the buildings.

The building will have its own rainwater harvesting system to store and supply water to low flush toilets  and irrigation systems, and low flow sanitary fixtures are specified throughout the development.

The development encourages tenants and visitors to either cycle or walk with the provision of showers and lockers at car park level and visitor cycle park spaces at Plaza level.  25% of the car parking spaces in the automated stacker car park are nominated only for small cars.  The development is also located very near the proposed Parnell train station and CBD public transport network.