WELLINGTON: City Development (Part 1)

This Bayleys Report on Welly's new Office Building ...

Waterloo Tower suggests there's alot more potential for more new Office Buildings , the Vacancy rates for A Grade building is like close to Zero

Bayleys Leasing Space in New Wellington Office Building
Eight prospective tenants are showing strong interest in leasing space in a new $56 million office tower proposed for a block of land near the railway station in central Wellington


Rohan Hill, Wellington director of exclusive leasing agents Bayleys Realty Group, says the 13-level WaterlooTower on Waterloo Quay has already attracted enough tenants to the negotiating table after a short leasing campaign to suggest that the building will fill up quickly.


“We are currently in serious negotiations with eight tenants, with an even split between the public and private sectors.”


When completed, WaterlooTower will have 11 floors of office space of approximately 1005 square metres each, 658 square metres of ground floor office or retail showroom space and parking for just over 50 cars. Most levels will extend from Te Papa to Kaiwharawhara and provide expansive harbour views.


The building will be located adjacent to Platform 9 of Wellington’s central railway station and next to the city’s main bus terminal.


The office tower is being built by Wellington development company Lace Bark Holdings in conjunction with Auckland-based Manson Developments, one of New Zealand’s largest privately owned property developers.


The two companies have jointly completed more than $30 million work of commercial and retail projects in Wellington in the past three years. Manson Developments has also recently completed the $140 million, 30,000 square metre Lumley Centre on the Northern Roller Mills site in downtown Auckland, the city’s newest office tower.


Designed by Archaus Architects Ltd, WaterlooTower features curved walls with extensive glazing to maximise natural light into the interior. Mr Hill says in line with the current trend towards more sustainable, environmentally friendly buildings – which is an important consideration for Government departments, particularly- the use of natural elements and design features will reduce energy demands on the air-conditioning and lighting systems.


“The shape and the orientation of the building has been carefully planned to enhance its environmental efficiency, with elliptical floors to maximise natural light and views.”


Mr Hill says Bayleys’ leasing campaign for the office tower, which initially attracted 44 potential tenants, is a clear indication that Wellington is short of good quality, new office space.


“There is demand for space right across the board, especially from the public sector. Our campaign highlighted 28 government sector departments and 16 companies who would consider moving premises if the opportunity stacked up,” he says.


“Government tenants in search of better layouts, building services and work environments are essentially driving the Wellington CBD market.”


TelferYoung Research recently showed that Government-occupied space increased by 9.42 per cent in the year to December 2005 and stood at 37.22 per cent of the total central business district office space.


Premium space makes up only 12 per cent of the total office space in Wellington and is sitting at less than 1% vacancy. Good quality space had a vacancy rate of 5.89 per cent in December, the lowest in eight years.


“With virtually no premium grade vacancy available in the Wellington central business district core, we are very confident that WaterlooTower will be fully tenanted within a reasonably short time frame,” says Mr Hill.


Naming rights are also being offered on the building which benefits from its high profile location next to the railway station and WestPac Stadium and with an average of 33,000 cars passing a day.



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Question for the Wellingtonians - can anybody tell me what the name of this building is - it is currently under construction to the right hand side of Te Papa .. I think that it is an Art Deco Building. My bf and I want to live there. Thanks.

mtb_nz said:

I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities with places like that in Wellington in another 18 months or so... As Wellington seems to be booming a bit at the moment too

Click to expand...

The decision has been made - we are moving to Wellington at the end of 2007. See ya

Have you read the article "Tug o War" in today's Dominion Post ? interesting reading. I love those proposed office blocks.

HARBOUR QUAYS:



The first of seven stages of land-based works incorporating a major revamp of the streetscape including new pavements/roading, street furniture, new underground services and the introduction of extensive landscaping. The project also includes bio-retention swale drains for storm-water management and construction of a park to the north of the Statistics NZ building.



Viewed from the eastern end of the new foot-bridge (connecting to Platform 9 at the Railway Station), the promenade opens up on the left towards historic Shed 35 and Maritime House. Directly in front is the link down towards the Boardwalk and water’s edge.



The vision for Harbour Quays. This is not a rigid blueprint for the site but a flexible framework for future growth. It is an holistic view, which can accommodate change but puts in place a very strong pattern for development with an emphasis on public space and permeability.



This perspective is taken from the northern edge of the park directly in front of the new Statistics NZ building. A feature of the park is the water reservoir and grass area in the middle of the picture.



Looking towards the city from the slip-lane, this picture highlights the intended pedestrian quality along this route. The proposed trees along the edge of Waterloo Quay can be seen to the right along with some localised wind shelters. The future buildings along the left are shown with a 2-storey high colonnade. This is to provide wind and rain protection along this edge.



This diagram clearly shows the location of Harbour Quays in relation to the Wellington Central Business District and Parliamentary Precinct. It forms a natural "bookend" to the waterfront promenade and this will be reflected in the design elements within the area. The scale of the site is apparent, however the intensity of development will be significantly less than the Central Business District.

WELL DESERVED :applause:

Wellington City Council today won the Premier Creative Places Award 2006, presented by Creative New Zealand at the Local Government New Zealand Conference in Wellington. Wellington City Council was one of eight category award winners and received the Premier Award for its Sculpture Duo, Len Lye’s Water Whirler and Bill Culbert’s SkyBlues, two innovative sculptures that enhance Wellington’s city scape for the benefit of the local community.

The Creative Places Awards, presented annually by Creative New Zealand, recognise local government's vital investment in the arts of New Zealand. They also celebrate innovative arts projects that have enhanced the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of their communities. Past Premier Award winners include: the John Money Wing and refurbishment of Gore District Council’s eastern Southland Gallery, the Far North District’s Hundertwasser toilets, Wellington City’s Parihaka, Waitakere City’s Massey Leisure Centre and Library and New Plymouth District Council’s Puke Ariki.

"Creative New Zealand values its partnership with local government and these awards acknowledge those local authorities and council organisations where exciting, innovative arts projects are an integral part of their agenda,” says Elizabeth Kerr, Chief Executive, Creative New Zealand. Wellington City Council’s Sculpture Duo also won the Commissions and Public Artworks: City and Regional Councils category.

“The Sculpture Duo help to make Wellington City a truly creative place,” the Award judges said. “They demonstrate excellence, are a strong response to their environment and reflect Wellington City Council’s long-term investment in public art. Both artworks are also excellent examples of collaboration resulting from the strong working partnership between Wellington City Council and the Wellington Sculpture Trust.”