The CAB apartments

Completed in 1966, the Civic Administration Building in Aotea Square was Auckland’s first skyscraper. It has Category A heritage status under the Auckland Unitary Plan but was no longer fit for its original use as an office building. We were engaged on an ECI basis to help figure out how to turn the 18-storey building into luxury apartments, consulting on buildability, methodology, resourcing, logistics, costings and risk management.

Naylor Love’s contribution continued once construction was under way, with our team devising novel solutions to the challenges that we encountered as the project progressed, including the unprecedented uncertainties introduced by the Covid-19 pandemic. This was truly an exceptional team effort.

The original steel frame was still in good condition and met modern seismic requirements, but we needed to strip the rest of the building right back to remove asbestos, improve passive fire and acoustic performance, and replace the aging services and façade. With sustainability a key consideration on the project, we’re proud to have diverted 98% of the demolition waste away from landfill.

While we were working high above the city breaking out the heavy concrete floors, we were also completing extensive groundworks on the heavily serviced site to build a two-storey basement podium for both the apartment building and planned future developments in the Civic Quarter.

With the new floors and façade in place and the heritage components reinstated, we started a top-quality fitout of the 114 apartments, including a stunning penthouse apartment spanning the entire top floor. The building also features a pool, gym and movie theatre.