Name: Tāwharau Lane
Configuration: The multi-warehouse development includes three warehouse and office facilities totalling 8,315 sqm with associated canopies, yards, car parks and common access-way.
Occupancy: Leased to Garmin, pH7 and Chemist Warehouse.
Address:1-4 Tāwharau Lane, Highbrook, East Tāmaki, Auckland
Owner: Goodman Property Trust “Goodman”
Architect: JWA Architects Limited
Project Manager: RDT Pacific Limited
Quantity Surveyor: BQH Limited
Main Contractor: SMC Construction Limited
Electrical Engineer: Electrical Consulting Services Limited
Mechanical Engineer: Thurston Consulting Services Limited
Hydraulic Consultant: Thurston Consulting Services Limited
GSAP: Manoj Kumar, RDT Pacific
Acoustic Consultant: NDY
Project certification: 6 Green Star Design & As Built NZv1.0 Built rating
Given its name by mana whenua Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Tāwharau Lane means to shelter or take refuge, inspired by Tai a Te Wharau, a traditional stopping point on Tāmaki River’s historic trading route.
Goodman CEO James Spence says the rating shows there’s a real business case to create industrial facilities of this quality.
“Our customers shared the vision for lower emission, more resource efficient and resilient buildings. Achieving this outcome required extra design input and the use of more innovative materials and construction techniques.”
Tāwharau Lane is one of the final developments in South Auckland’s Highbrook Business Park, so it was a significant project for Goodman.
Simon Wilson, Director of RDT Pacific says that targeting a 6 star rating "significantly influenced our project management approach and was intertwined with our GSAP service delivery. We believe, thanks to Goodman engaging RDT Pacific for both Project Management and GSAP as an integrated service, achieving this 6 Green Star rating was significantly de-risked.”
Strong architectural gestures intended to rebalance the building with its natural environment were a priority for JWA Architects.
"Inspired by the korowai (Māori cloak), the curvaceous screen that wraps around the orthogonal floor plates serves as a protector and a symbol of achievement. Like a korowai, it provides protection primarily from solar gain, while also celebrating the first 6 Green Star rating for Highbrook and commemorating the construction of nearly 500,000m2 of space over the past twenty years," says JWA Principal, Jonathan Walker.
With form that relates to the forces of nature, much like a sailing boat is shaped by capturing wind and moving through the sea; Tāwharau’s cloak is shaped to balance the building with the effects of nature on a building.
The orientation and profile of the buildings were carefully designed to make the best use of the site while creating view shafts to the adjacent Tāmaki River and Maungarei/Mt. Wellington volcano.
Each highly sustainable and energy-efficient workspace was constructed from lower-carbon materials to reduce embodied emissions, with a carefully managed development process to minimise waste and other environmental impacts.
“A positive connection with nature, natural daylight and sun are always very important experiential qualities for users,” says Jonathan.
Manoj Kumar was the Project GSAP, and highlights many standout features, particularly the incorporation of extensive landscaping, including 3,512m2 of native vegetation and 9,287m2 of lawn areas, exceeding the Gross Floor Area (GFA) of the development and positively enhancing site ecology.
He also celebrates that the project achieved over a 11% reduction in upfront carbon emissions, with the remaining emissions offset through verified climate-positive projects in New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia.
A commitment to sustainability was evident from the outset of the project according to Manoj, “The Goodman leadership team placed a strong emphasis on sustainable outcomes throughout the development process, influencing many key decisions. One notable decision was to surpass industry standards by targeting a 6-star rating, a choice driven by development initiative rather than tenant requirements.”