A 5 Green Star design rated warehouse and office building is making waves. It signals a new orbit for industrial facilities in Aotearoa.
Essentials
Name: Bowden Road Stage 1
What: new high-stud warehouse and interconnected office facility
Details: warehouse (7000 square metres); premium head office and warehouse offices (900 square metres); breezeways, canopies, operations yards, carparking (7300 square metres)
Location: Mount Wellington Maungarei
Details: Stage 1 of a two-unit development
Tenant: Tokyo Food Co
Daily occupancy: approximately 160 people
Address: 30-32 Bowden Road, Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau
Project Snapshot
Owner: Property for Industry Ltd (PFI)
Architect: Woodhams Meikle Zhan Ltd
Project GSAP: SEEC, Peter Bryant
Project manager: Haydn & Rollett
Main contractor: Haydn & Rollett
Project timeline: five month design phase from June 2022; construction from March 2023; practical completion and occupation June 2024
Project certification: 5 Green Star Design & As Built NZv1.0 design rating (July 2024)
Forget a stark, rudimentary building in a hard-surfaced concrete yard.
PFI’s new warehouse and office development is driving transformational change - from old-school industrial site to inspirational green workplace.
Energy smart and aesthetically appealing, Bowden Road Stage 1 is a low-carbon operations and logistics hub where care for the planet and nurturing of people is the headline act.
Equipped with solar power generation (90kWp), rainwater harvesting, dedicated fuel efficient and electric vehicle parking and extensive native planting, this well-orientated facility is a place for thriving on all fronts.
“We’re thrilled to deliver a fantastic, sustainable building for our tenant, Tokyo Food Co. This 5 Green Star rating is a milestone achievement for us,” says PFI Head of Sustainability and Operations, Sarah Beale.
“Making sustainable, enduring decisions is critical for delivering positive outcomes for our tenants and investors. We’re focussed on embedding sustainability across the business, and transitioning to a greener portfolio. Bowden Road is a window of opportunity to make a real difference,” she says.
PFI bought the Bowden Road holding – a 3.9 hectare brownfield site - in 2012 attracted by its size, location and potential.
When the existing tenant – an aluminium manufacturer – exited following the expiry of its lease, PFI set about regenerating the property with a 5 Green Star trajectory to the fore.
A collection of obsolete 1960s era buildings were demolished to make way for a two-unit development comprising Stage 1 and Stage 2 – two separate entities with shared architectural glossaries and 5 Green Star goals.
“Targeting 5 Green Star ratings for our significant new developments is an important part of developing best-in-class assets. We see Green Star as a differentiator for our new buildings which improves building value and desirability as demand for sustainable buildings increases,” says Sarah.
Woodhams Meikle Zhan project director, Hiran Perera says the brief centred on the provision of a contemporary work environment for mixed-use occupiers, underpinned “by PFI’s aspiration for a consciously sustainable, resilient development as part of its ongoing ethos.”
From the outset the building’s design was tailored to its tenant’s needs and operational requirements – including a bespoke freezer and chiller configuration, a main office with a generous staff kitchen/cooking zone and a mezzaine office to the rear of the building.
“The use of sustainable building materials, emission reductions, acoustic control and good ventilation has delivered a workplace the enhances the occupiers’ quality of life.”
The spaces are pleasant to work in with high levels of natural light and quality amenities.
“What excites me most about the project is the transformation of an underutilised brownfield site into a mini industrial community promoting many of the positive benefits of sustainable design,” says Hiran.
Project GSAP, Peter Bryant says Bowden Road Stage 1 is “an inspirational benchmark for the design of industrial premises in Aotearoa.”
Green Star has propelled that high-level outcome.
“From inception to completion PFI and Haydn & Rollett were fully committed to and embraced the Green Star process. The credits and points targeted to achieve the 5 Star rating had real benefit for both the building and its tenant.”
He says those credits include points for extensive native planting.
Prior to regeneration the site was predominantly hard surfaces - buildings, car parks and vehicle accessways.
“Ramping up the native vegetation and improving the impact of the industrial estate’s impact on local biodiversity has been a key driver.”
Native vegetation has been significantly increased with attractive planted gardens using hardy, drought-tolerant native tree and shrub species.
Haydn & Rollett says improvements to targeted rates for waste minimization has been a project highlight – with strong buy-in from subcontractors – resulting in over 83 percent of building waste being recycled and diverted from landfill.
Project manager, Sam McPhee says Green Star enhanced the vibe on site and delivered learnings to the team across waste minimization, sustainable product selection, health and wellbeing.
“As both design managers and main contractor for the project the Green Star process has provided a great framework to guide the design, procurement and construction - providing an efficient and environmentally friendly building for end users.”
That stand-out result also articulates a new-age industrial building benchmark for Aotearoa.
Green features include: