Air conditioning problems are besetting upper-level apartments in The Pacifica, Auckland’s $300 million 57-level luxury apartments, and management has apologised for stifling conditions.
Management sent out a concierge notice this month, apologising for problems on level 42 and 43 but residents say people on other floors have suffered stifling conditions within the double-glazed glass-clad tower.
“We understand how frustrating and difficult having no air conditioning during summer must be,” the concierge’s March 3 notice said.
A resident said temperatures inside soared into the 30s in an intolerable heat.
“The building is like most glass tall towers: floor-to-ceiling windows designed to optimise views. The problem is that it acts like a glass house and with little ventilation and zero air-conditioning, you begin to feel like you’re in a sauna. It’s no secret that when commercial tenants look at buildings one of the first things they ask about is air-conditioning,” the resident said.
“Temperatures in here have been in the 30s and with the lack of air movement the humidity has been devastating even at night. You just drip. Not wanting to sound prissy, but with zero air movement because of the windows closing due to the wind, it’s been extremely uncomfortable.”
One couple fled the tower to a hotel because their daughter and a new baby had arrived and they felt conditions inside were so extreme that they could not live in their multi-million dollar place.
“It’s like living in a soup of humidity - but with a great view,” the resident said.
The building manager has been attempting resolution, dealing with Daikin and contractors Aquaheat for some time.
“Please be assured the BM is chasing daily to ensure systems are back online asap but given the complexities involved, the technicians need to be certain before moving forward as this will have a wider impact on the building and can prolong the ordeal,” the notice said.
Daikin “has instructed to install ball valves and dispensers on every outlet to prevent further issues in the future,” management wrote to residents.
Around 12 apartments are on levels 42 and 43 but residents on levels 11, around the 16th or 17th floors and level 47 had complained about lack of air conditioning in the last year or more since the block was occupied.
Chris Ivers, body corporate chair, told the Herald: “There have been some outages. These are being worked on.”
Notices went to residents from The Pacifica building management about air conditioning shutdowns continuing during two months. The notices said:
Auckland has had a warm, wet summer. Niwa said of six main centres, Auckland was warmest, wettest and least sunny in January this year. Metservice noted Auckland temperatures peaked at 27C on February 2 but reached highs in the early to mid-20s most of last month.
One Pacifica resident who complained about the air conditioning breakdowns said it was unacceptable it had taken so long to fix.
“This has been a problem for two months with multiple attempted fixes and it still failed over two months later,” the resident said.
For a commercial type of air conditioner system operating in such a large building with hundreds inside to be out of operation in a two-year-old building raised questions about the system, the resident said.
People had paid millions for units, only to find they heated up to extreme temperatures and there was nothing they could do to lower that.
Barfoot & Thompson is marketing a level-39, 125sq m three-bedroom unit for $2.7 million. Sotheby’s asks $4.2m for a 148sq m level-53 penthouse.
Some windows in the tower do open, but only a few centimetres. Windows close in windy conditions.
Another resident said of the aircon: “Even when it’s not broken, it’s not working well. It’s either noisy or not working or not fixed - people have often complained.”
One contracting business which says on its website it “provided HVAC and mechanical services” in the building said that was only during construction and its contract finished two years ago. It had no ongoing responsibility for the systems.
Daikin said it was aware of problems: “We supplied the product, however, the responsibility for the installation and maintenance of the product lies with our contractor who has been working to resolve the issue. The contractor has assured us that the issue will be resolved by the end of this week.”
The Herald on Sunday reported an electric humming vibrator designed to upset neighbours operated for about a month and drove locals “just about insane” before it was discovered and disabled, a resident says.
Management thanked people for their patience while matters were resolved but refused to talk to the Herald about it directly, citing privacy.
A photo of the device, which emitted humming vibrations, showed it jammed between two books and the top of an internal window, high up in the $300 million 57-level luxury apartment block.
The device was plugged into the mains and had a metal rod nearly the height of the window and a purple plastic device on the end.
A resident explained a man had installed it in a window cavity, behind a blind, specifically to aggravate his upstairs neighbours for unknown reasons: “The device causes a low vibrating-type hum at about 35-40 cycles per minute at about 80hz. It sounded like a cellphone ringing on vibrate stuck in the wall, but it never stopped and just continued all day, all night.”
Other issues dogging the tower lately were discussed in a report before last month’s AGM. Those included fire sprinklers flooding apartments, hard water stains on windows, rubbish chute blockages and construction defects.
Residents said the AGM was long and, at times, extremely heated.
Ivers said: “The AGM did take three hours. It was a good discussion: all motions and budgets were approved. There was a lot of discussion on how a body corp functions as living in luxury apartments is a relatively new experience in New Zealand. We took the time educating people on the building operations and most importantly, how owners want the building run and the level of service they would like.
“Overall it was a positive meeting with good outcomes,” she said.
The tower’s second birthday was marked “with a huge turnout. We celebrated our beautiful, vibrant community, enjoyed a spectacular cake and a few bubbles together.”
It's to be built on a greenfield site near the Esmonde Rd motorway on-ramps and off-ramps.