Plush offices for bank staff in HQ move (+ video)

Large outdoor decks and a carving of Maui are eatures of the new headquarters. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ralph Hotere's giant canvas, RED X2, stands in the foyer near a Maui carving on a 4000-year-old log, which is entwined with fibre-optic cabling to represent the past and the present.

Both are giants: the painting is 3m by 2.4m and carving is two levels high, viewed as visitors ride the escalator from the ground floor to the main entry foyer on level one.

Welcome to Westpac NZ's new national headquarters, spanning two buildings in Cooper and Company's $1 billion Britomart Precinct.

Westpac staff are moving into Takutai Square, which flanks the eastern end of Britomart Place and the Westpac contact centre in Charter House, the historic low-rise building facing Customs St East. Three airbridges between the two buildings link levels one, three and six.

About 1750 people are now shifting from offices in Auckland and Wellington to the buildings - the biggest corporate staff relocation after Telecom's move to the new Victoria St campus-style four-building complex developed and owned by Manson TCLM.

"We have people moving here from about six different sites in Auckland alone from Manukau, Royal Oak, Onehunga and elsewhere," said Murray Dobson, Westpac NZ's head of property and procurement.

Three years ago Westpac gave its staff a virtual tour of the new headquarters, guided by comedian Mark Wright, at an Onehunga warehouse mocked up like the new Britomart buildings. Now the shift is under way and in the last month about 450 people have moved, including business banking, marketing, legal, international operations and property and procurement staff.

Corporate, institutional and private wealth-division staff are leaving AMP NZ Office's PricewaterhouseCoopers tower on Quay St, where it was a major tenant. AMP staff were spread across a number of floors linked by stairways.

Although the new Westpac offices are a block back from the waterfront, Dobson said the bank had a massive advantage because it had been planning the move for six years.

The bank was involved with the conception, planning, development and execution of its own new headquarters, giving a far more successful result than if it had simply arrived to lease finished offices, Dobson said.

Westpac was able to control many aspects of the interior decor and design, could choose custom-made furniture and was even able to negotiate to expand into areas which were not available initially.

The bank leased the upper levels of the building in Takutai Square - floors 10, 11 and 12, which were originally planned as apartments but abandoned for offices in the downturn. This was ultimately to Westpac's advantage.

"It took a bit to make it work," Dobson said, explaining how the location of lifts was changed and a customer pathway was created to get the correct flow through the building.

From the staff's perspective, the single biggest change is the addition of outdoor balconies and their ability to move from their offices to large exterior decks, enjoy fresh air and work in an environment with features of a home.

BBQs, extensive outdoor seating areas with glass balustrades and outdoor entertaining areas are part of that, and already the bank has held functions on its new decks.

"You tell me an office building in Auckland with balconies like this," said Dobson, opening sliders out to the east overlooking the new $10 million Les Mills gym.

Takutai Square is still under construction, even though Westpac staff had hoped all earthmoving and noise would be gone before they shifted.

Dobson praised Jasmax architect Tim Hooson who worked on the interior fitout with Aspec Interiors and Westpac project manager Andrew Tasker, who chose much of the furniture.

Westpac NZ chief executive George Frazis, who has an annual $5 million salary, has the best office at the top of the building, which offers views to the northeast with floor-to-ceiling windows.

He has his own deck and an adjoining room for functions.

Dobson is also proud of an international dealing room, also home to the economics team which includes newly appointed chief economist Dominick Stephens.

Dobson refused to say what Westpac spent and was defensive when asked what people would think of the bank splashing out.

"We haven't spent too much. We have spent very wisely. We could have spent similar sums around seven different sites in Auckland and Wellington but we have been really, really cost-effective," he said, explaining how a new corporate hospitality area with its own commercial kitchen would free the bank from being forced to lease exterior space.

Up to about 450 people can be seated in the new conference areas and Westpac can serve 160 people at a sit-down dinner or lunch in that area.

Rafters, a staff cafeteria with breakout rooms and a bank of computers for social networking, has opened in the top level of Charter House, where exterior brick work, iron roofing and the roof beams have been exposed to add character.

Westpac celebrates 150 years in June and Dobson says the bank is planning to hold a number of functions at its new headquarters.

It has leased the two buildings on 10 and 12-year terms.

Westpac in Takutai Square was called the East Building while it was being built by Hawkins Construction. Ernst & Young leased the section fronting the sea, with naming rights, while Westpac took the other side also with naming rights.

A central atrium links the two and retailers are shifting into the ground floor.

Each floor in Westpac's new HQ has a theme:

Floor 1: Tectonic plates
Floor 2: Deep sea
Floor 3: Foreshore
Floor 4: Dunes
Floor 5: Forest
Floor 6: Geothermal
Floor 7: Lakes
Floor 8: High Country
Floor 9: Clouds
Floor 10: Mountains
Floor 11: Volcanoes
Floor 12: Sky