How do you transform a tired 25-year-old office building into a high performance, post-pandemic workplace? 6 Green Star rated 105 Carlton Gore Road has the answer.
Essentials
Name: Stantec Building 105 Carlton Gore Road
What: refurbished five-storey commercial building (circa 2000); lettable space 5267 square metre
Where: heart of Newmarket
Tenants: Stantec, Instant Offices, Harbour Cancer & Wellness, Colgate Palmolive Ltd
Current daily occupancy: 300 to 450 people
Address: 105 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Project Snapshot
Owner: Argosy Property Limited; leading listed commercial property owner; 12 Green Star projects to date; innovative green bond framework for funding green projects
Architect: Designgroup Stapleton Elliott (DGSE)
Project GSAP: eCubed Building Workshop
Main contractor: Alaska
Building Services Engineer: Air Action/BlackYARD
Project status: June 2022 to June 2023 - demolition construction, and occupation
Project certification: 6 Green Star Office Built v3 rating (March 2024); 5 star NABERSNZ rating pending
‘Building a better future’ can be an overworked slogan but there’s nothing old hat about the way Argosy applies its vision to the job at hand.
The company is a frontrunner for green change and its full-scale retrofit at 105 Carlton Gore Road speaks to its commitment.
With services at the end of their lifecycle, poor street presence and in need of repositioning from B grade to A grade building stock, demolition could have been the pathway. But Argosy head of sustainability, Saatyesh Bhana says reusing and retrofitting ticked its green agenda boxes.
“The easy option is to demolish and build new but it’s more sustainable to reuse an existing building and ‘building a better future’ is about reducing our impact on the environment.”
While ‘a light refurbishment’ was considered, due diligence on the existing building, wide consultation and a desire to deliver a dynamic environment encouraging people back to the office, propelled a major refurbishment.
Saatyesh says reusing the building - with the majority of its structure intact - allowed Argosy to achieve a trifecta:
- low embodied design through reuse
- lower operating carbon through energy efficient building systems and solar generation
- climate adaption features for rainfall and future temperature increases
“Given the extent of the works, using the Green Star framework provided an assurance of specification and design performance. Our 6 Green Star confirms we did what we said we would.”
He says the finished product is in line with the architectural vision for the building.
That vision has created an environment where regenerative/innovative building techniques and biophilic design principles merge to shape a vibrant and highly sustainable workplace, says DGSE architect, Peter Rozecki-Lewis.
He says in a post-Covid world - where occupancy levels and work from home policies have negatively affected commercial office space - DGSE’s design inspiration came from creating workspaces that positively impact employee mental health.
“We wanted people to feel drawn, inspired and invigorated. A place where they could form meaningful connections with colleagues and nature. We wanted to entice people back to the office.”
Those enticements include a landscaped processional route into a light-filled, lush green welcoming lobby which hints at the sustainable ambitions of the wider building.
The refurbishment across that wider building is something project GSAP, David Fullbrook wants to be ‘business as usual’ in the drive to decarbonise cities and tackle climate change.
He says greening existing buildings rather than building sparkly new ones - unless absolutely essential - is the future.
“The Stantec Building is an exemplar of what can be achieved from a building constructed in another time and with a legacy of relatively poor environmental outcomes.”
David says the project used all the tools in the tool box, including life cycle assessment, energy and thermal modelling and climate adaption planning - to make the building as good as it could be and fit for the future.
“While the building is only 25 years old - about a third of the way through its life cycle – it’s interesting to see how much can practically and economically be achieved in meeting the climate change imperative over a buildings’ life cycle and the touch points that trigger upgrades and refurbishment. It’s a continuum of care.”
He says Argosy’s long term life cycle commitment to the level of upgrade undertaken and the greening of its portfolio is inspirational.
Brian Hutton, Director of main contractor, Alaska says, the building is “a real-world case study of what can be achieved” and it is repeatedly referencing the project within the industry.
“We’ve built multiple Green Star projects before but this was a stand-out. With our client’s huge vision to completely transform an existing multi-storey block through a full-gut and rebuild while targeting 6 Green Star.”
He says a highly cohesive team working towards a well communicated 6 Green Star goal “added real spark to this project.”
That spark at the Stantec Building is felt by its occupants.
“It’s a great office to work in – stellar job!” says one team member.
“Such an awesome building to be in. Such a great feeling,” says another.
For Argosy there is huge pride in transforming a lacklustre asset into a resilient, future-fit office building where occupants are fizzing with productivity and enjoyment.
Green features include:
- a large proportion of the building reused
- 94% of construction and demolition waste re-used or recycled
- sustainable material selections
- biophilic design - detailed integration of natural elements into interior design to enhance well-being
- high performing thermally broken façade system – thermal efficiency, daylight to internal spaces; solar control
- 10% of car-parks with EV chargers
- LED lighting with daylight & occupancy sensors
- Low flow water fixtures and fittings
Technical features include:
- building systems – two-pipe changeover chilled/heating fan coil unit system with electric heating back-up; high efficiency thermal wheel heat recovery; outdoor air ventilation; mesh-based lighting control system
- renewable energy generation – 64.8kW rooftop array contributing around 30% of base building energy use
- predicted energy consumption reduction of 21% compared to a standard building
Don't miss your opportunity to tour the Stantec Building at our upcoming Green Building Site Visits in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on Tuesday 13th August.
