Club Tower Development Reaches For Five-Stars

Media Release for immediate use: Tuesday 29 April 2008

Club Tower Development Reaches For Five-Star Rating

Latitude Group’s Club Tower in Worcester Boulevard is aiming to be the first building in the South Island to be awarded the much-coveted five-star Green Star NZ building rating.

Latitude Group is in the process of applying for the five-star rating under the New Zealand Green Building Council’s Office Design rating tool.

Ken Wimsett, Director of Latitude Group, says the Club Tower building is extremely innovative in its design. It will be sustainable and environmentally efficient in terms of energy, water use and the ability for recycling on site. He emphasises that his company is committed to developing “green” buildings wherever possible.

“Club Tower will be the most technologically advanced office tower in Christchurch’s CBD. It will be an environmentally sustainable building that offers an exquisite workspace with enduring design. We are extremely confident that Club Tower will be the South Island’s first building to be awarded the five-star Green Star NZ rating due to its ecological excellence,” he says.

Ken Wimsett says Club Tower will also be an economically viable option for tenants, even though it contains so many additional features.

“Rental costs will be comparable to those of a normal building. In fact, tenants will probably end up saving money on power and water due to the efficient use of these resources.”

Robert Weir of Weirwalker Architecture says the building design concentrates on cutting-edge efficiency and clean energy technologies. He says it has a number of environmentally sustainable building and design features.

“We have appointed Alan Barbour, Associate at Beca Buildings, as the lead Green Star NZ Accredited Professional to oversee the building of Club Tower which is a huge undertaking. We’ve incorporated a number of sustainable features such as a ventilation system that will monitor carbon dioxide levels and daylight into the building,” he says.

“Lights will be controlled by a daylight sensor and the acoustics have been carefully planned so there will be no acoustic interference between the tenants on different floors. Also, there will be no lights pointing up to the sky to avoid light pollution.”

The building contains low energy light fittings controlled by daylight sensors that will automatically ramp up and down depending on how bright the day is. Water efficiency is maintained by using fittings that reduce the water use. “Grey” water (water from basins and sinks) will be used to do landscaping irrigation.

Robert Weir says they’ve thought of everything possible when it comes to recycling.

“We’ve set aside a recycling area for glass, paper, cardboard and aluminium which can be sorted before it leaves the building. The internal fit-outs are being completed as the building is being constructed to avoid waste,” he says.

“We’ve used recycled steel where we can and all timber will come from a sustainable source. Even the carpet, paint, thermal insulation and floor tiles will be eco-friendly. We’ve done everything we can to meet the Green Star NZ rating.”

Rohan Bush of the New Zealand Green Building Council says the team working on Club Tower should be congratulated for targeting a five-star Green Star NZ rating – a level that recognises “New Zealand Excellence”.

Ken Wimsett says the design team has also worked hard to ensure the building will be an enjoyable workspace, with fresh air and comfortable temperatures, as well as a clever open-plan design to keep noise to a minimum.

“According to recent studies ‘green’ buildings produce increased productivity amongst those working in them. This is a ‘win-win’ situation for everyone involved,” he says.

Transportation has also been considered when designing Club Tower. There will be a number of small parking spaces to deter the big vehicle user from driving to work, forcing them to consider using a smaller car. A secure bike park will be provided for cyclists, with adjacent showers and lockers.

The $40 million Club Tower development is being built on the site adjoining the historic Canterbury Club on Worcester Boulevard and will be completed in 15 months. The building will be 40 metres tall and comprise 12 storeys with three floors of car parking, nine storeys of office space and the top floor will contain two luxury penthouse apartments. The ground floor will also have a retail/café space.

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