Seascape, the apartment tower being built on Customs St East in Auckland CBD. pHOTO / fILE
New Zealand's highest planned residential building, Auckland's $300 million, 52-level Seascape Apartments, did not comply with the Building Code's fire regulations according to a Government ministry.
But its developer says design changes will resolve the issues.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ruled plans for the 185m-tall building "based on the fire design ... does not comply".
Read the full MBIE determination on Seascape here.
Developer Shundi Customs must apply for a new building consent from Auckland Council, modifying fire safety aspects of the plans for the block under construction on Customs St West.
MBIE said a fire engineer had identified "the absence of a direct or fire-isolated interconnection between the apartment lift lobby and the upper west stair servicing levels 41 to 55". But further issues were subsequently identified.
"Movement to a place of safety" was the primary Building Code clause involved in the disagreement.
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Shundi says the matter is now being resolved, caused no delays to its programme, and work has been continuing for the last five months while the issue was dealt with.
The developer worked with Fire and Emergency New Zealand after MBIE's determination the tower did not comply with the Building Code's fire safety design regulations.
Shundi said: "MBIE released Determination 2018/064 on whether the fire safety design of the Seascape project complies with clauses C1 to C6 of the Building Code by means of Verification Method C/VM2. Following MBIE's determination, Auckland Council required Shundi as project owners to launch a new building consent application to comply with updated regulations. To prepare this application, Shundi are working collaboratively with Fire and Emergency New Zealand."
No time frame for the new building consent was indicated.
But Shundi said that should result in "a robust fire engineering strategy that satisfied Fire and Emergency NZ, independent reviewers and Auckland Council," Shundi said.
MBIE said: "The fire safety design of the proposed building does not achieve compliance with...the Building Code in relation to the lack of connecting lobbies between the lobby containing the designated fire fighters' lift and the stairway on levels 49 and above."
Shundi added: "The project has not lost a day of production in almost five months and there has been no quality or safety issues of any significance over that period. The quality of steel fabrication has greatly assisted the speed of construction. Destructive testing here in New Zealand, over and above the international-standard testing processes adopted by the manufacturer have satisfied Auckland Council of the high quality of the material being used."
A run of good weather had helped keep up the pace of construction lately, Shundi said, releasing two new pictures which showed large steel pipes running horizontally across the site. These are bracing the outside walls and are temporary. They will be replaced by flooring once the basement has been created.
Excavation and earthworks was followed by installation of a layer of steel props 1400mm in diametre and 70mm thick, it said.
That formed the basement construction on the reclaimed land.
Seascape, at 185m, is to be taller than The Pacifica, rising on Commerce St and 178m.
Melbourne-headquartered Hengyi Pacific is developing The Pacifica which will be 57 levels and Seascape 52. Yet Seascape is to be 9m taller than Pacifica, Shundi said, due to the building's floor configuration.
Last March, Shundi announced that Seascape "will be the highest residential building in New Zealand, only exceeded in height by the SkyTower."
China Construction New Zealand is building Seascape which is still at below-ground stage.
Icon from Australia is far more advanced building The Pacifica, which a few weeks ago had reached level 13.
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