Civic do-up double the cost

The 100m Civic Building was hailed as NZ's first skyscraper when it was built for council offices 48 years ago. Photo / Richard Robinson

Cost of refurbishing council building put at $70m, twice the price of demolishing it

The cost of refurbishing the Civic Building on Aotea Square is estimated at more than $70 million, which Auckland Council property officers say is double the cost of replacing it with a building twice the floor size.

The figure casts a long shadow over the future of the 100m tall tower, which was hailed as New Zealand's first skyscraper when built for council offices 48 years ago.

But some councillors yesterday said heritage value must be weighed against costs in any decision to demolish rather than reuse the building.

Asbestos material lurks in its frame, it leaks and it fails modern earthquake standards, says an officers' report to the council finance and performance committee.

Regular checks showed the building was safe to use — 560 workers remain in the building and they will move to the new headquarters in the former ASB Bank tower on Albert St later in the year.

The cost of upgrading to modern office standards was a big factor in council buying 135 Albert St in July 2012 for $104 million, said Auckland Council Properties acquisitions and disposals manager Clive Fuhr.

Council departments said they had no need for the building if it were refurbished.

The building was not scheduled in the Auckland District Plan, though a council heritage consultant said it merited a Category B listing. This gave more flexibility to upgrade it guided by resource consent conditions than a Category A, which would prohibit demolition and make it difficult to remove asbestos and quake-proof it without affecting heritage elements.

Mr Fuhr said it was not known what some of the uses might be for the building before any decision was made on whether to restore it.

About 20 parties were keen to know what future use might be and there had been unsolicited interest from residential developers.

Committee chairwoman Penny Webster said it decided to "test the market" for investor interest in refurbishment and ask whether Regional Facilities Auckland could include the building in its review of the Civic-Aotea Centre precinct.

This would give a more complete picture of options and costs, she said.

The report's suggested tension between keeping heritage and getting value for money angered councillors Chris Darby and Mike Lee.

"People have not acknowledged nor understood the heritage of this building," said Mr Darby.

Auckland's Civic Building

• 1950s classic modernism design by architect Tibor Donner.

• 0.9ha site near the town hall and Aotea Centre.

• 1966 opened as 18 levels of offices and car park.

• 2012 Auckland Council buys a replacement HQ — paying $104 million for 31-storey ASB Bank tower on Albert St.

• 560 staff at the Civic will relocate later this year.