Now, a building consent valued at$18.9 million has been issued for the superstructure design of the council’s future offices at 90 Devonport Rd.
The council says its new offices are set to be an “impressive addition” to Tauranga’s cityscape and hoped to help revitalise the city centre.
Developed by Willis Bond and construction partner LT McGuinness, the 10,000-square metre leased building would feature rainwater harvesting, electric vehicle charging and facilities to encourage active transport options.
The building was targeting a 6 Green Star sustainability rating and would have a strong emphasis on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems) and connection with its surrounding natural environment.
The council sold the Devonport Rd site to Willis Bond in December 2021 with an agreement it would construct a building the council would lease back for its staff.
Tauranga City Council development and partnerships general manager Gareth Wallis said the project reached the “exciting milestone” of starting construction on its new office block at the beginning of this year.
“Despite a wet first half of the year, foundation and groundworks have been progressing well,” he said.
An artistic render shows what a future Tauranga City Council building will look like once it is built at 90 Devonport Rd.
Wallis said the superstructure consent allowed for the building to be constructed out of the ground, with future consents including the facade and interiors.
“With the arrival of some of the first deliveries of timber, we are excited to see the building emerge from the ground in the coming weeks.”
The more than 10,000sq m office building at 90 Devonport Rd would be the largest mass timber office building ever built in New Zealand, he said.
“At eight storeys high and constructed in mass timber, this is going to be an impressive addition to Tauranga’s cityscape and is another signal of progress that we are on our way to revitalising Tauranga’s city centre.
“We anticipate moving into the building in early 2025 and look forward to having all of the council’s administration staff under the same roof [for the first time] since 2014, when we had to vacate our previous office on Willow St.”
Willis Bond senior development manager Will Ellison said it started construction about six months ago, which was a “really pleasing milestone” to hit.
Ellison said the consent was to build the superstructure, which was the most interesting part of the build because it was going to mostly be made from three different mass timber products.
“It is going to be the largest mass timber building in the country. It is really exciting.”
Ellison said the latest consent meant people would start to see the timber office building come “out of the ground” from late next week.
While he would not disclose the total cost of the build, Ellison said it was a “significant” project.
“We think this will be a significant part of the future of how commercial buildings are constructed. We are extremely grateful for Tauranga City Council to really lead the way on this.”
Mainstreet Tauranga chairwoman Ashleigh Gee, who owns Miss Gee’s Bar and Eatery on The Strand, said the new city council office building would be an “amazing addition” to the CBD and would hopefully bring workers and visitors back into the city.
“It is another great step forward towards the bustling city centre we are aiming for.”
The construction site at 90 Devonport Rd where Tauranga City Council's new administration building was being built. Photo / Alex Cairns
90 Devonport Rd
New Zealand’s largest mass timber office building, with a leasable area of over 10,000sq m
Eight floors using over 2000 tonnes of mass timber
Three different mass timber products used: CLT, LVL and Glulam
134 piles of up to 24 metres (equivalent to six storeys) installed
Will feature rainwater harvesting, electric vehicle charging and facilities that encourage active transport options
