Mount Maunganui development wins national retail award

Mount Central in Mount Maunganui has won a Silver award in the Retail category. Photo / Supplied

A Mount Maunganui commercial development has been recognised in the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards.

Mount Central was announced the winner of a Silver award in the retail category at the awards at Auckland's Sky City on Friday night. The premium retail centre at 223 Maunganui Rd was developed in 2016 and includes nine single-level retail tenancies and 52 car parks.

Designed by First Principles Architects, the development includes a roofed atrium and is anchored on the corner by the Rabbit Hole cafe and restaurant and bar Bamboo.

Other tenants include Pita Pit, Sal's Pizza, Palace Burger, Mount Boutique Liquor, Sunny's variety store, Epsilon hair salon, and fashion boutique MKT.

Run by the Registered Master Builders Association, the prestigious awards set the benchmark for commercial construction in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the PwC Centre in Wellington was awarded the Supreme Commercial Project of the Year.

The two-year construction programme was built on reclaimed land and included an underground basement that was below the water line and susceptible to significant tidal movements.

Judges said the PwC Centre was an impressive build as the design pushed the structural engineering envelope in New Zealand.

As well as the Supreme Award, the building also took out the category win for the Carters Commercial Project Award, and the Value Award for a project over $15 million.

Registered Master Builders chief executive David Kelly said the awards showcase and celebrate the very best in commercial construction.

Kelly said the high calibre of entries reflect the scale and diversity of commercial construction throughout New Zealand.

"These awards recognise the contribution of the whole project team rather than just the building itself," he said.

"This includes everyone from the building owners, architects, designers, engineers, quantity surveyors through to the contractors themselves. This collaboration is a key part of these awards and is a key focus for the sector."

A new Innovation Award recognising the transformation happening in the industry was announced this year.

"Technology and new approaches are making the impossible possible and are shaping the future of the industry," Kelly said.

In the last seven years, The Commercial Project Awards have celebrated the best quality commercial builds, with Whangarei, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown taking out the Supreme Award.

The awards are made possible thanks to the support of Allied Concrete, Altus, CARTERS, Construction Marketing Services, GIB, PlaceMakers and Resene.