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An East Tamaki site earmarked for the construction of a world-leading, carbon-neutral building, along with plans for the green-rated industrial complex are up for sale.
The 7975sq m site at 27 Accent Dr was to be the new manufacturing and administration headquarters for premium skincare exporter Snowberry and forms part of the upmarket Accent Business Park.
Extensive work was carried out on the building's design and Snowberry managing director Mark Henderson and architect Jeremy Craig of Ignite believe they know what a "green" industrial building will look like down to the last carbon-neutral window fastening.
Although Ignite developed highly sophisticated plans to a level where they can be matched to the Green Building Council's pending green star ratings for industrial buildings, Henderson decided to relocate the Snowberry plan to the company's existing 25ha bio-discovery plantation near Wellsford, where it can develop the science that goes with natural "cosmeceutical" ingredients development.
Colliers International industrial brokers Greg Goldfinch and Andrew Hooper, who are selling the Accent Dr property by offers closing on June 5, say the carbon-neutral and environmentally sustainable design work already done in preparing the building's plans will give a new buyer an immediate advantage.
"The plans will be available for a new buyer," Hooper says. "The majority of international companies are sensitive to green strategies and want their businesses to reflect that. The plans for this site significantly reduce carbon emissions and the property's subsequent carbon footprint."
On the corner of Accent Dr and Beale Pl, the flat site has been excavated and is ready to build on. Under the Manukau City Council's Operative District Plan, the bare land is zoned Business 5, which allows offices, warehousing, storage and auction rooms as permitted activities.
Goldfinch says the site should appeal to pharmaceutical, IT, warehousing, distribution and multinational companies. "It is one of the few large sites that can be purchased in this area."
The land is part of the Savory Construction-developed 10ha Accent Business Park. Nearby neighbours include Nutralife, Auckland Packaging Company, Panasonic, Hafele, Home Direct, Hallensteins and Pacific Brands.
To protect the quality of the business park, Savory Construction has a covenant over the entire development requiring anybody who buys a site to contract the company as the builder of any new premises. "This has ensured a high calibre business park that is equal in quality to Highbrook and protected owners' and tenants' investments," says Goldfinch. "It will look as good in 15 years as it does now."
He says there has been a noticeable increase in demand over the past year from owner occupiers to be in the business park or nearby.
"This has been reflected in the recent sale of the former BMW site on the corner of Accent and Te Irirangi Drs for $673 per square metre."
Hooper says the site is on a prime corner, 50m from Te Irirangi Dr and land in the precinct is seldom sold. "Land throughout East Tamaki is increasingly difficult to acquire, so the site will appeal to owner occupiers and investors, who can expect rents in modern, newly designed and built premises of $195 to $210 per square metre for office space and $90 to $110 per square metre for warehouse accommodation."
It is the second time Goldfinch and Hooper have been involved in selling the site. They sold it two years ago for extrusion and cable manufacturing company Elastomer to Henderson's property arm Markenden.
Henderson took on the challenge with Ignite of drawing up plans to build a state-of-the-art facility for Snowberry that would achieve zero carbon status in the building and its subsequent operation.
"The building was to blend in with the landscape through the use of natural materials - sustainable native and recycled timbers - numerous trees and water features that would also act as internal climate moderators," says Henderson.
"The working environment was designed to use natural air-conditioning systems that included flowing recycled water, hanging gardens to give the feel of working within a garden in the office and open-plan areas, and innovative ventilation rather than conventional and generally expensive mechanical systems."
Sustainability was also the directive in the research and development and manufacturing part of the building that can be viewed through discreet glass panel walls from the office area. Energy and water were to be recycled, reducing resource demands to well below average usage.
Henderson says the property might sound extraordinary but it is achievable and is particularly appropriate for a company such as Snowberry that exports largely to Europe. "Our German clients, for instance, look for exactly this kind of authenticity."
Architect Jeremy Craig says Ignite has done the work that will provide a new owner of the site with an ideal opportunity to not only reduce occupancy costs but also significantly reduce their company's carbon emissions.
Craig says the design costs for the development have been higher than normal because a project of this scale has not been undertaken in this part of the world. He says even as his team was designing and sourcing material, they were exploring territory beyond known green star requirements on both sides of the Tasman. "Surprisingly, we have largely cracked it by resorting to careful integration of existing technologies and simple materials."
Henderson says the company is reluctant to leave the East Tamaki site because Ignite's plans are a superb concept.
"They present a great opportunity for an owner-occupier with a proactive view about their business, brand and total operating footprint to put their strategies into action."
He says the Wellsford location is a "better fit" for Snowberry. "We can integrate several concepts, including bio-discovery and environmental sustainability right down to energy usage."
The Accent Dr site will eventually be on the outskirts of the planned environmentally sustainable Flat Bush township, containing a planned mix of residential, commercial, conservation and stormwater management areas, as well as public parks and roads.
Flat Bush is not just another suburban subdivision but an entirely new town, a community for 40,000 people, another Gisborne or Whangarei.
The driver behind the venture is simple - population growth along with protecting natural features and promoting sustainable urban development.
The Manukau City Council has already won international plaudits for its plans.
Major earthworks, roading and construction are under way for a 20ha, $1 billion town centre, the jewel in Flat Bush's crown.
