One Taranaki Regional Council building to be demolished and another upgraded

The Taranaki Regional Council building on the right will be demolished. Photo / Taranaki Regional Council

Taranaki Regional Council’s office block is getting demolished.

In a recent inspection of the office building to the right of the regional council’s main building, asbestos and toxic mould were found. It was also discovered the building didn’t meet earthquake standards.

After reviewing options, including refurbishment, it was found the best option was to demolish and replace the building, an emailed press release stated.

The press release states the council will work with contractors to salvage and repurpose as much material as possible from the demolition.

Contractors will be on site from next week, with the main demolition scheduled for January and February. Construction will begin in 2024 and is expected to take about 18-24 months.

As well as demolishing and replacing the office block, the council’s main building will be upgraded. An accommodation upgrade project had been consulted in the preparation and adoption of the council’s 2021/2031 Long-Term Plan, with the council approving a budget of $10.4 million.

The budget covers the cost of demolition and rebuilding the earthquake-prone building, temporary office space for the duration of the build, as well as required heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical upgrades for the main administration building.

Director of corporate services Mike Nield says the new building is long overdue.

“There is a lot of history about this place, but it’s well past its use-by date. Due to asbestos, moisture issues and earthquake concerns, upgrading was the only cost-effective option.”

He says the upgrade and flexibility of the new building will benefit current and future staff and the community.

“There’s no question that this work has to be done so our focus is on doing it in the most cost-effective way to meet the needs of our staff, council and region.”

Mike says the council’s vision for the new building is for it to be functional, fit for purpose and sustainable.

“We are prioritising the use of sustainable materials and aim to have a flexible design that meets current and future needs. We want to improve workflow between departments, which are currently situated in four separate buildings on site.”