Green award for Christchurch buildings

The Green Star Kathmandu and Vodafone buildings in Christchurch - Photo credit Kathmandu Ltd.

The Kathmandu and Vodafone buildings in Christchurch's Innovation Precinct have been awarded Five Green Star NZ Office Design 2009 Certified Ratings from the New Zealand Green Building Council.

The buildings are part of the management portfolio of South Island-based specialist property and asset manager MHP.

Vodafone's 8500sq m InnoV8 building has four office levels with retail space on the ground floor. The building features passive solar design, a high-performance facade to maximise daylight while balancing heat levels and an integrated fit-out design to reduce waste.

The 4,650sq m, three-level Kathmandu building, Papa Kainga, includes a high-performance double-glazed façade and automated blinds that track the sun and adjust accordingly. Both buildings feature a highly efficient ventilation system that brings in outdoor air at a rate 50 per cent above Building Code requirements, to provide a healthier indoor environment for staff.

"We now manage three landmark office buildings in Christchurch that have been awarded top marks for sustainability," says MHP director Dale Robertson. "We are proud to manage these high-quality assets on behalf of their investor owners.

"Both the Kathmandu and Vodafone buildings are owned by groups of investors and managed by MHP. A third MHP-managed office building in Christchurch, the IAG building at 14 Show Place, Addington, recently became the first building in New Zealand to achieve a five star NABERSNZ whole building rating, following a refurbishment project undertaken by IAG and Goodman."

The Five Green Star ratings for the Kathmandu and Vodafone buildings set a high standard for the emerging Innovation Precinct in the Christchurch central business district, says Robertson.

"We congratulate Calder Stewart on achieving Five Green Star ratings for these significant new buildings. It sets the bar high for the Innovation Precinct to have the first two major projects off the rank awarded these ratings. It's a very positive step for the precinct, and will help in attracting more high-profile national tenants to buildings in the area."

Robertson says the Five Green Star ratings are important attributes for commercial buildings, from a management perspective.

"A Five Green Star rating greatly assists in attracting and maintaining high-calibre tenants, who benefit from the positive profile occupying a green building carries in terms of corporate social and environmental responsibility.

"Sustainable design also benefits building owners as well as occupiers; with features such as modern, efficient and low-maintenance heating and cooling systems, increasing the efficiency of buildings' performance and reducing running costs."