Britomart – January 6, 2011

The MGT was privileged to be provided a tour of the Britomart Development Project in Auckland New Zealand by its Development Manager, Sarah Ballantyne.  The project is a large transport and urban revitalization project which spans seven inner city blocks, and is the country’s most expensive infrastructure project undertaken by a local authority (http://www.britomart.org/about-britomart  )  The project has received 5 star rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council for its sustainabile design.  The development is a collaborative effort by Cooper and Company (www.cooperandcompany.org) and Hamilton Construction Company (http://www.hawkins.co.nz/ ).  The project, initially intended for a mixed use development to include office space, retail, and apartments, made a major adjustment to its intended use after the residential market took a drastic downturn.  Although construction had already begun, the development team made design changes that would make the project commercial and retail only.  The design is of such that once the real estate market rebounds, the building could be easily reconverted for apartment use.  The building incorporates many sustainable features, one of which is it will serve as a major transportation hub for the train, ferry, and bus line.   In addition to the knowledge and leadership of the development manager, Sarah Ballantyne, I was most impressed by the ability of the team to change the design of the project to remove the apartment aspect and still meet the scheduled completion date of April 2011.