New Zealand's first purpose built "green" office building

New Zealand's first five-star green building has been constructed on Wellington's waterfront, with Meridian as the principal tenant. The New Zealand Green Building Council has awarded Meridian's new office with a 5 Star Green Star NZ Certified Rating, signifying 'New Zealand Excellence'.

We have developed a website that shows the key features of the building in more detail and has interviews with the people involved in its design and construction.

Please click here to visit.

Meridian Energy's new Wellington waterfront building is designed to use 60% less energy and 70% less water than comparable office buildings. It is the first office building designed and constructed using Ecologically Sustainable Development principles.

The building has features such as solar hot water, heat recovery systems, intelligent and addressable lighting controls, mixed mode ventilation (including chilled beams), an active external façade and a rainwater collection system for water re-use within the building.

The project is a practical demonstration that good environmental principles and commercial imperatives are not mutually exclusive.

The building has a natural synergy with Meridian's focus on renewable electricity generation and sustainability and has achieved a five-star green rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council.

"This is a natural progression from our focus on renewable electricity generation," says Dr Keith Turner, Meridian's Chief Executive. "As the leader in the field of sustainable, clean, environmentally-friendly electricity generation, it is appropriate that we put our money where our mouth is in the way we best make use of all our resources, including accommodation."

The building will help take Meridian closer to three of its key sustainability targets – being a carbon neutral company; encouraging its partners and suppliers to follow a sustainable development pathway; and reducing the company's overall environmental footprint.

For more information:

Ministry for the Environment

Green Building Council

Green Building Council Newsletter