Case Studies

21 Queen

Written by NZGBC | 07 August 2019

In redeveloping 21 Queen Street, ANZO was seeking a well-managed project with a lower environmental impact than a new construction. The project team, through careful strategic procedural planning of the works, ensured that the environmental impact of the redevelopment was minimised through the recycling of almost all construction waste, the retention of the existing structure, and the use of sustainable materials such as natural stone from environmentally friendly certified quarries. Other features that contribute to the overall environmentally sustainable design include double glazing, which maximises the use of natural light, and a chilled beam air-conditioning system.

Green Star NZ Tool: Office Design

Project Name: 21 Queen

Address: 21 Queen Street, Auckland

Rating Recommended: 5 Stars, (65 points)

Project Summary:

“The building was built in 1972 and consisted of a 14 storey office block. The main entrance to the 21 Queen Street is situated on Queen Elizabeth Square. The ground floor area comprises mainly of retail space and incorporates the main entry, access to the lifts, escalators to Level 1 and the ‘gallery’ lobby.

The Level 1 lobby is accessed by escalators and is a gallery-style lobby space. Leading off the gallery is a balcony facing Queen Elizabeth Square. Four new floors have been added to the top of the building. A total of 15 office floors are now accommodated from Level 3 to Level 17. Level 2, 18 and 19 are plant rooms.

A chilled beam air-conditioning system has been installed throughout the office tower.

A fire pump room, recycling facilities, cycle racks, and amenities are located in the basement”.

INNOVATION

“We originally targeted 70% of waste by weight would be reused or recycled, and we actually achieved 92%”.

The assessors are comfortable in recommending that one point is awarded for the exceeding of the 70% benchmark within the MAN-7 Waste Management credit by 22%.

The benchmarks within this credit are 30% for one point, 50% for two points and 70% for three points. The project team was able to demonstrate that the amount of waste diverted from landfill exceeded the incremental increase of 20% beyond the third and most difficult target within the credit. Because there is no fourth benchmark (and associated point) within this credit, the assessors deemed it appropriate to reward the project with one innovation point.