An artist's impression of Mansons' planned new office and retail building for 33 Broadway, Newmarket.
An artist's impression of Mansons' planned new office and retail building for 33 Broadway, Newmarket.
Mansons TCLM has released plans for a new premium-grade office and retail building in Newmarket that will be anchored by Mercury, following its recent rebranding from Mighty River Power.
The new building, at 33 Broadway at the corner with Alma St and near Newmarket's Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre, will enable Mercury to consolidate its four Auckland offices into one centralised hub.
"This development promises to transform the heart of Newmarket's office precinct," says Paul Dyson of Colliers International who, with colleague Michael van der Putten, is marketing around 4600sq m of remaining office space to corporate tenants looking for a new home.
Dyson who brokered the leasing deal with Mercury, says the company will occupy three and a half levels at 33 Broadway.
"The last time this area saw a new office development like this was the construction of Mansons' award winning Watercare House on Remuera Rd in 2013, so Newmarket is well overdue for another landmark building like this," Dyson says.
He says the new Five Green Star building will be benchmarked against Mansons' recently completed 4 Graham St complex in the Auckland CBD that is anchored by media company NZME and which has now been named 'the BDO Centre' following the recent signing of a lease.
"This building achieved spectacular success by taking out the Best in Category and Supreme awards at the 2016 Property Council awards in June," says Dyson.
"The rigorous judging criteria included weighing the property against economic and financial factors. This encompassed, but was not limited to: project vision and innovation; degree of difficulty, design and construction; owner and user satisfaction; and sustainability and efficiency of operation."
Dyson says Mansons is pursuing 33 Broadway with the same considerations in mind. "This property will incorporate leading edge design and building technology. It has a hugely prominent frontage onto Broadway with ground level showroom space and provision for shops that will add to Newmarket's retail-centric character," says Dyson.
"A massive atrium will extend through all levels to provide outstanding natural light and horizontal and vertical visual connectivity. Through the atrium, sky bridges will connect the floor plates to provide tenant flow and activation," he says.
Paul Dyson, of Colliers International
Culum Manson, director of Mansons TCLM, says the company was inspired by the success of the BDO Centre development and wanted to create a similar location-specific project for Newmarket. "Our vision is to continuously improve the quality and performance of our developments, and to put structures on the ground that improve the urban form of New Zealand," he says.
Like the BDO centre, the spacious lobby atrium at 33 Broadway will be designed to create "a grand opening feel" for visitors as they walk in.
Dyson says buildings of this calibre cater to the needs of diversified businesses as demonstrated by the tenants secured at 4 Graham St which include BDO, NZME, legal firm Meredith Connell, shipping firm Maersk Line, Pernod Ricard and Kotahi.
Van der Putten says the design of 33 Broadway will be similar with Mansons TCLM leading the country in creating green buildings. "Large, efficient floor plates will work to accentuate openness, accessibility and diminish hierarchy. It will also feature generous 3.1 metre stud heights, secure basement parking with several charge points for electric cars and onsite end of trip facilities such as showers, lockers, storage and bicycle racks," he says.
Duncan Annandale, Mercury's property manager, says relocating all the company's staff members together in Newmarket into one building we will enable them to work more collaboratively and efficiently.
"Newmarket stood out as a location because it is central, close to public transport and has excellent shopping and service amenities. We were also attracted by the opportunity to be part of a purpose-built, sustainable building," Annandale says.
He says the business is mindful of the impact relocation has on the lives of employees and is actively working to ease the transition.. "The new premises provide an excellent long-term solution for us. Commuting, particularly for about 400 people based Greenlane, made Newmarket an appealing option as it's relatively close."
Culum Manson says Newmarket is one of the "most occupier friendly locations in Auckland" and is ripe for another significant development which will complement other planned educational and retail developments. "We're confident the remaining area in 33 Broadway will lease quickly with demand exceeding supply," he says.
Newmarket acts as a key junction in the rail network giving easy access to the CBD, south and west Auckland. Its train station has previously been judged one of New Zealand's best new buildings in the urban design category of the New Zealand Architects Institute awards.
"People prefer Newmarket due to its closeness to the CBD, Parnell, Remuera, Mount Eden, and the motorway network making it accessible to a huge portion of Auckland's residential suburbs while avoiding the CBD's infamous traffic woes," van der Putten says.
Dyson says Newmarket provides one of the best shopping experiences in the country as the fashion centre along with an exceptional selection of first grade eateries, cafes and bars.
"With the Auckland Domain and Museum on hand, gyms and cinemas, more and more business are catching onto the desirability of the location as a place to work, live and play," he says.
