The architecturally-designed office and warehouse building at 213 Lichfield St, Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
The architecturally-designed office and warehouse building at 213 Lichfield St, Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
A stunning, architecturally-designed office and warehouse building located on the Christchurch city fringe near Fitzgerald Avenue is now for sale.
"This is a top-quality facility that has been designed and built to the highest of standards," says Paul Vining of Savills Real Estate who, with colleague Benjamin Dwan, is marketing 213 Lichfield St for sale by tenders closing at 4pm on Tuesday June 6.
"This sale offers a rare chance for a business to purchase new premises with a 'wow' factor," Vining says.
The two-level building contains 1163sq m of floor area encompassing a warehouse and offices over two levels. Its 1515sq m freehold site is situated 800m east of the Christchurch city centre. It is one block away from the proposed East Frame residential area and 200m from the proposed new covered stadium that is planned to have a capacity of 35,000 people.
Designed by Beca and built to exceed 100 per cent of new building standard, it features a bespoke perforated aluminium facade that depicts the original Christchurch City Plan from 1874, blending out to an abstract interpretation of the braided rivers that flow through the Canterbury Plains.
The building maximises natural light, with skylights providing additional light to the first-floor offices. An internal garden, dramatic 'floating' stairwell, designer kitchen, cedar-clad balconies and internal American white oak panels provide additional attractive points of interest.
Dwan says low maintenance and sustainable materials were used in the construction where possible.
"The main structural element of the building is pre-cast panels which were selected for their low-maintenance and sustainable properties. Some are pre-cast with a timber finish as a deliberate aesthetic feature of the building."
High quality materials were used in the building's interior which also maximises natural light. Photo / Supplied
Vining says every aspect of the design and finish was carefully considered. "This resulted in an impressive, contemporary building that will lend prestige to the public perception of a future occupier's brand."
Built by its current owner and occupier, construction and management firm, Corbel, to house its national headquarters, the building was opened by Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel in April 2015.
Corbel's managing director Craig Jones says it's now for sale as part of the firm's strategy of specialising in commercial projects for its key customers and establishing itself in the Auckland market.
"We have a great team in Auckland now and the work it has won makes up over 65 per cent of our revenue. We're continuing to work with key customers such as the Ministry of Education and Auckland City Council.
"Aligning our business to our target market has allowed us to operate highly efficiently but has meant our current premises no longer fit the shape and size of our Christchurch team. We remain committed to Christchurch as our home market but, given the change in focus, we have reluctantly decided to move on to alternative premises that will suit our future needs better, thus freeing up this building for a new owner occupier."
The new strategy has also meant a shift towards a skill set that allows the company to deliver all aspects of commercial projects successfully, with less reliance on its traditional skill set of carpenters, joiners and labourers.
Jones says the company's success in Christchurch is also continuing, with over $3m of work signed in the past few weeks.
"Our Christchurch portfolio is very targeted towards the commercial sector for key customers and we have consciously moved away from the residential and small works market. This model has allowed us to be more focused on our customers and the type of work we do well."
