NHNZ’s New Production Facilities Officially Opened

International television production company NHNZ‘s new purpose-built premises in Dunedin have been officially opened by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, during a function attended by television industry representatives from New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Singapore.

Due to growth in recent years the company has outstripped its previous premises and earlier this year moved into a building which started life in the 1940s as a knitwear factory and which was redeveloped in anticipation of NHNZ’s long term growing needs.

NHNZ Managing Director Michael Stedman says the building was designed around people and the industry. “Our brief to the architect was to give us light, visibility and a sense of community,” he says.
The multi-million dollar refurbishment includes 11 edit suites and three sound suites, state-of-the-art online facilities, a computer graphic suite, a gaming unit and an expanding emerging media division. 55 kilometres (34 miles) of wiring have been installed, including fibre optic cables so that data can be transferred a lot faster. And with 100 terabytes (100,000 GB) of computing power, Mr Stedman says the new facilities position the company well for the next 15 to 20 years. “The design is versatile and areas can be repurposed in response to the changing needs of international production and of technology,” he says.

One of the first major projects NHNZ is carrying out from its new base is the production of two major 3D series for the newly established 3D Net in the USA. “Our new premises reflect our philosophy of growth through constantly evolving to meet international requirements. With the emergence of 3D and an increasing production slate from a widening client base, we are now well placed to cater for the anticipated rise in output,” says Mr Stedman.

Redesigning and upgrading an existing building is environmentally friendlier than building from scratch and reflects NHNZ’s commitment to green practices. In designing the building the architects made full use of the existing features, including restoring the wooden floors, and reinstating the blacked-out windows with clear glass.

An atrium cut into the centre of the building now captures natural sunlight and heat which is stored in a thermal mass wall. The air conditioning system also channels the heat released by equipment in the building to the thermal mass wall, ensuring a stable temperature.

The same day as it opened, the building won the Commercial Architecture category of the New Zealand Institute of Architect’s Southern Architecture awards.

ENDS

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