Long-time tenant Electrolux (NZ) Limited have occupied our site at 3 – 5 Niall Burgess Road since the mid-1990s. The New Zealand subsidiary of one of the world’s largest home appliance makers, Electrolux were looking for us to make improvements to their New Zealand distribution centre prior to renewing for another 8 years.
The property lies on the south side of Niall Burgess Road, between Great South Road and Mt Wellington Highway in one of Auckland’s premier industrial precincts. The improvements focused on repurposing around 700m2 of the existing 1,700m2 office space into a ‘low-stud’ workshop with improved storage, better connectivity between the warehouse and yard and the creation of more versatile dispatch and storage capabilities.
A key request was for the upgrades to the building to align with Electrolux’s sustainability ambitions. That intention aligned well with our own commitments to take every opportunity to create quality assets that align with our environmental philosophy. Subsequently, it was agreed that the improvements would include sustainable solutions around energy consumption, building products, water consumption and waste management.
“It would have been much simpler to remove the parts of the building and rebuild,” says Craig McGuigan of Haydn and Rollett Construction. “Instead we were asked to re-use as much of the materials as possible. So, for example, we retained the exterior wall in the existing office and also the ceiling grid and tiles. Those decisions cost PFI more money but they were consistent with the commitment to minimise waste.”
“We also strengthened the canopies,” says Alex Bauer of Haydn and Rollett Construction, “and that made them strong enough to incorporate 240 solar panels, which in turn meant Electrolux could offset a significant percentage of the building’s power requirements.”
“At 3 – 5 Niall Burgess, we have been fortunate to work with a tenant who shares our philosophy on sustainability. There were cheaper ways to make changes on the site, but those were inconsistent with taking the most responsible approach,” says PFI Chief Executive Officer Simon Woodhams.
“What we delivered is a modernised site that meets Electrolux’s requirements and incorporates sustainable elements we are proud of, including on-site renewable energy generation, new LED lighting throughout, the replacement of ozone depleting R22 HVAC units, a rainwater retention system and a new yard slab poured from flyash. We also achieved our target of diverting 70% of the waste generated from landfill.”
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