New Zealand’s first completed 5-star “green” office complex, the Meridian building on Wellington’s inner city waterfront, has picked up further accolades as winner in the Sustainable Architecture category in the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) 2009 Awards.
This followed the two premier Green Building and Commercial Office trophies it received in the 2008 Property Council Awards which recognised developer DNZ Property’s considerable commercial courage in tackling such pioneering project. The building was designed by Studio Pacific Architecture and Peddle Thorp Architects to use 60 percent less energy and 70 percent less water than traditional office buildings. Its smart operating systems sense and react to wind, sun and temperature, and include blinds that automatically open and shut according to where the sun is. comprehensive staff education programme ensures that monitoring of energy consumption, indoor air quality and water conservation is understood and embraced.
The Meridian building is the precursor to number of other even smarter 5-star green buildings which include the IAG Building and Deloitte Centre, both in Auckland’s CBD.
The other winner in the NZIA’s Sustainable Architecture category was the new Selwyn District Council Building on the Canterbury Plains, designed by Athfield Architects.
Forming partnerships with Māori business
Guest Contributor
November 18, 2024
Broadcaster and journalist Mike McRoberts (Ngāti Kahungunu) will be speaking to directors and the business community at an Institute of Directors’ event Te Ōhanga Māori: Connecting with the Māori economy.
