Typifying 1970s institutional architecture the Buddle Building has been lifted from its past into a future where green, clean and occupancy well-being are centre stage.
The refurbished 50 year old building is central to the dynamic Blue Mountains Campus – Willis Bond’s highly sustainable business campus aiming to deliver smart green spaces in which people can thrive.
Name: Buddle Building
What: 4700m2 commercial building - demonstrates adaptive reuse
Where: Blue Mountains Campus - a highly sustainable, resilient business hub in Upper Hutt offering 36,000m2 of flexible commercial and retail space. Formerly an AgResearch centre, the five hectare campus blends existing repurposed facilities with new low-rise office buildings : estimated completion of full campus 2026
The original Buddle Building: a two-storey administration wing and a four-storey research block interconnected via an amenity and stair tower. Unoccupied for many years, the structure had suffered significant damage due to weather ingress, vandalism and general material degradation. Situated at the entrance to the Blue Mountains Campus - the refurbished Buddle Building now forms part of a central amenity hub
Tenancy: anchor tenants Kiwi Rail and MBIE - additional tenants to follow. Kiwi Rail has constructed a new 1300m2 state-of-the-art train control room on-site connected to the Buddle Building via a linkway
Occupancy: TBC - up to 480 occupants
Address: 68 Ward Street, Upper Hutt City
Owner: Willis Bond
Architect: Studio Pacific Architecture
Sustainability and Green Star: Beca
Building Services: Beca
Structural: Dunning Thornton Consultants
Main contractor: LT McGuinness Limited
Project status: site purchase 2020; concept design commenced 2021; on-site works with site preparation, asbestos removal etc mid 2021; main contract works underway late 2021; Kiwirail now occupying, MBIE expected occupancy in Q4 2023
Project certification: 5 Green Star Design review rating (November 2022), Targeting 5 Star As-Built Rating post completion.
Equipped with state-of-the-art building services and a new façade, the Buddle Building exemplifies the potential of building reuse.
Property development and investment company Willis Bond says its new regional business campus offers “a beautiful, established park-like setting which is very difficult to achieve in the concrete environments that dominate city centres.”
And it has applied a green mindset across all facets of its campus project:
Willis Bond Director - David McGuinness, says one of the most exciting green aspects of the Buddle Building has been its re-adaption and re-use.
“While refurbishing existing buildings is often more complex than demolishing and rebuilding them - retaining as much of the existing building’s structure as is practicable not only reduces embodied carbon emissions but reduces the amount of waste going to landfill and the amount of new materials required.”
David McGuinness says from the outset Green Star has been Willis Bond’s tool of choice - aligning closely with its commitment to sustainable design and construction and the wellness of the occupants of its buildings.
“Green Star is recognised as an independent assessment which combats the risk of ‘greenwashing’ and provides assurance to the occupants of the building, and the wider community, of its sustainability. When considering both tenant expectations and Willis Bond’s aspirations to reduce the impacts of its projects we decided Green Star was the best tool to achieve our goals.”
The company’s 5 Green Star Design rated projects includes the PwC Centre in Wellington and Tākina - Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.
It is also targeting a 6 Green Star rating for the new Tauranga City Council office building which, once complete, will be the country’s largest mass timber office building.
David McGuinness says initially a 5 Green Star goal was an aspiration rather than a commitment for the Buddle Building project.
“However, feedback received from potential tenants early in the project helped us see that committing to a 5 Green Star goal would not only demonstrate our commitment to sustainable office spaces but that it is an expected norm and a mark of excellence for many tenants today.”
He says the 5 Green Star Design review rating for the Buddle Building has been propelled by collaboration.
“It is the result of a trusted and collaborative team including the Upper Hutt City Council, project consultants, Willis Bond’s construction partner LT McGuinness and the Buddle Building’s anchor tenants.”
He says Willis Bond is delighted with the outcome.
“Achieving a 5 Green Star rating not only shows the Buddle Building has been re-adapted and refurbished with the environment in mind but it also shows that the health, wellbeing, and comfort of its occupants plays a vital role in the design decisions for the campus. The Buddle Building is an important part of the campus narrative as a resilient, sustainable business hub that is a fantastic place to work.”
Principal and Project Lead, Grant Perry of Studio Pacific Architecture says its design response to the Buddle Building’s redevelopment has been shaped by:
SPA’s design approach for the repurposed facility “stays true to the overall volume and arrangement of the 1970s structure, maximising its good bones and maintaining the strong geometries of the original scheme.”
He says the approach of re-using an existing building and the project’s overall reduction in demolition waste has been a highlight.
Main contractor for the Buddle Building project LT McGuinness says the key sustainability challenge of redeveloping a 50 year old building has been incorporating modern mechanical plant into existing risers and plant rooms.
LT McGuinness Project Manager Sam Short says it has been exciting to work on the innovative Buddle Building project and “it’s great to see the hard work from the whole project team being rewarded with this 5 Green Star certification.”
Sam Short says Green Star brought a raft of positive initiatives to the construction site.
“As part of the Green Star process we added a portion to our induction process dedicated to describing Green Star, the benefits of building sustainably and how the actions on-site contribute to the certification. We also rolled out our smoko-waste recycling scheme which was a great opportunity for team talks about why we need to act more sustainably and what the construction industry can do in this space.”
LT McGuinness Sustainability Manager – Ben Cannon says when discussing the requirements for materials and tracking with sub-contractors and suppliers “it has been really rewarding seeing the other conversations that discussing sustainability brings up - from learning more about sustainability in the built-environment to sharing ideas around how we can work more sustainably.”
“Green Star is an excellent tool for delivering quality, sustainable commercial buildings in Aotearoa. I sometimes hear people describing something as sustainable but when you dig down there’s just one small thing they’ve done. Green Star independently verifies that many elements have been considered including the energy use of the building, ensuring responsible materials are procured and that the indoor environment is comfortable and healthy. Another key benefit of Green Star is that it provides a starting point for people who may be overwhelmed or do not know where to start with sustainability.”
Project GSAP Ben Masters, principal - sustainable buildings Beca, says the Buddle Building’s 5 Green Star rating rubber stamps the project’s sustainable framework.
“As well as a leading carbon performance, the project targeted a range of sustainability focused areas including a healthy working environment and the reduced environmental impact of the existing site and new construction materials.”
He says the revitalisation of the Buddle Building demonstrates a best practice whole life carbon approach to building refurbishment.
Ben says enhancing the health and wellbeing of campus users is a primary objective for the Blue Mountains development.
And the Buddle Building demonstrates the importance of occupancy comfort at every step with:
Ben says Green Star has been instrumental in propelling the Buddle Building’s sustainable journey from disused 1970s government research relic to a highly contemporary green commercial building.
“Green Star has set the building up for a new life - ready for a low carbon future.”
Green and technical features include:
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Innovation point features include:
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