‘Paused’ - work on New Zealand’s tallest apartment tower Seascape

Seascape, the residential skyscraper: China Construction has been building it on Customs St East in the Auckland CBD. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Construction has stopped on New Zealand’s tallest new building, the soaring 56-level, 221-unit, $300 million Seascape, according to an Auckland Council chief.

But a development boss says it is simply going at a slower pace.

Jeff Fahrensohn, council field surveying manager, said work had “paused” and he did not know when it would resume or why no one was working there.

“The council is aware that work is currently paused on the Seascape development. We cannot comment on why this might be, other than to say it is not related to any concerns or regulatory requirements by the council. We understand work is expected to commence in the near future,” Fahrensohn said.

Simon Ma, of Seacape’s developer Shundi Customs, said work had slowed but he was hopeful it would resume soon.

Others who have been working on the project, which is a 187m-tall building, said work had stopped weeks ago but would not say why.

They also hope China Construction will return shortly.

Ma said: “Due to some temporary circumstances, work on-site is currently progressing at a slower pace.”

Earlier this week, the contractor stated “they are making the best possible progress and we expect the site to return to normal speed soon”.

He refused to say why work had been affected and asked for support and patience.

The tower has become a dominant yet skeletal feature on the horizon after it reached the top level around June.

The skyline is visible through many of its floors, yet to be enclosed in the tower which is not fully clad.

A number of surprised office workers and residents contacted the Herald lately to say they had seen no one on the site for weeks.

“Our office building overlooks Seascape and it appears construction has stopped,” one person wrote last week.

Work has ceased on the site of Seascape, the 187m-tall skyscraper on Auckland's Customs St East. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Another inner-city resident close to the tower wrote in May: “The progress on the curtain wall has stalled for many months. The front facade has many windows filled in with temporary sheeting. Is there a problem with the glazing? The completion date was promoted as being during 2024.”

Construction sector bosses have also expressed surprise to see slow progress, saying the work had taken years.

Ma said: “We are actively working to address the situation.”

Nick Gillespie, Seascape engineering project director, Simon Ma, senior project manager, Sathy Thurai-rajah, construction manager, Bradley Luke, principal architect and Les Honeyfield, senior project manager at the site in 2019. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Property records show Shundi Customs owns 69, 71, 87 and 95 to 105 Customs St East.

At 187m, Seascape is taller than nearby 178m Pacifica apartment tower which is 57 levels.

The Herald in January said Seascape was expected to open later this year.

But that now appears impossible, given the amount of work to be completed.

In 2018, the developers were confident about the project.

Seascape, the 187m tall apartment skyscraper. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Harrison Shao, general manager of Shundi Customs, said the tower would be second in height only to the Sky Tower.

“At a height of 187m, the visually striking Seascape Apartments will be 15m higher than the current Vero Building and 9m higher than the Pacifica apartment building in the CBD,” Shundi said back then.

Last June, construction had reached the 41st level. The builders completed another nine floors so that by last September, Ma said construction reached level 50.

Two months ago, architects at the Auckland office of Peddlethorp showed images of themselves on a floor towards the top, announcing the topping off.

They said they were “delighted that Seascape in central Auckland has structurally topped out at 187m, officially making it New Zealand’s tallest residential tower, as recognised by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat”.

Staff from the Auckland office of architects peddlethorp posted this image of themselves at Seascape two months ago.

Shundi Customs is a subsidiary of Shundi Group, an international development company with headquarters in Shanghai. The business has a portfolio of developments in China and overseas.

Another company, Shundi Queenstown, was in April revealed to have plans for a southern hotel.

The Environment Court at Christchurch heard the case between Shundi Queenstown and the Queenstown Lakes District Council over hotel plans for 53-65 Frankton Rd.

Shundi Queenstown is a New Zealand company incorporated in 2017 and part of the same Chinese Shundi Group developing Seascape.

In 2020, council examinations were carried out on areas of the diaphragm wall beneath Seascape.

Six foundation areas were being probed.

Some media reports at the time referred to defects in that diaphragm wall between Gore St and Commerce St, but Fahrensohn said then: “I hesitate to use that word defects. This is normal procedure, always expected and the same process was carried out during many other jobs with diaphragm walls including construction of the Victoria Park tunnels and for the Kirkbride Rd underpass at Māngere.”

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.