Certified Concrete – New IRD Premises, Wellington
< Back Sunday, 14 February 2010
Size meets sustainability
One Featherston Development, located on the corner of Featherston and Bunny Street, Wellington is set to become the largest commercial office building in New Zealand with a massive floor plate of 3,200m². Built by Fletcher Construction and to be tenanted by the IRD and two other Government tenants, it will consist of retail and service spaces on one level, two levels of car parks and 12 levels of office space. It is being constructed of a precast concrete structure with a substantial concrete shear core at the centre.
Firth's Wellington Area Manager, Cameron Lee says, "The completed structure has about 14,000m3 of concrete in total, with the piling and footings soaking up some 3,000m3. Some of the piles had to be drilled up to 42m deep as the area sits across the road from the harbour front and is all reclaimed land."
A special concrete mix was required for the shear walls in the initial floors. It contains a large amount of Fly-ash to reduce the heat of hydration. Firth continues to monitor the heat build-up of the walls over time.
However the scale of the building hasn't compromised the commitment to green building practices. The tremendous durability of concrete and significant energy savings due to thermal mass were just part of the puzzle. An air conditioning system that incorporates chilled beams and infusers on all office levels and adoption of waste management procedures during construction that achieve at least a 50% waste recycling target, have all contributed to Fletcher Construction targeting a 5 star rating from the NZ Green Building Council.
"Working in this building will contribute significantly towards our sustainability goals as we strive for carbon neutrality in 2012", said Inland Revenue Acting Deputy Commissioner Business Development and Systems, Mary Craig.
The project is not expected to be complete until September 2010, but the concrete structure was completed late 2009.