203 Papanui Road, Merivale Village

203 Papanui Road is a brand new two-storey building in the heart of Merivale Village, with retail tenancies on the ground floor and office space on the first floor.

The building has been constructed on a gravel raft foundation with geotechnical mesh with reinforced ground beams, a method designed to reduce the effects of liquefaction in a future earthquake.

The superstructure is a structural steel portal frame that provides clear spans with minimal structural support needed, allowing open plan floor layouts. The structure consists of full height pre-cast panels on three sides and a stone façade at the front. The roof is insulated Kingspan panels, and includes an access safety system to all areas of the roof for maintenance purposes.

A prominent feature of building is the limestone façade and Timaru Bluestone eyebrow. This façade was installed with a unique mounting system to provide protection from seismic movement.

One of the main challenges of this project was the tight site with almost complete coverage, facing a busy footpath and road in a popular retail precinct, with fully operational neighbouring stores on both sides. We meticulously planned deliveries and the installation of key components and prioritised regular communication with the client to maximise safety and minimise disruptions.

We returned to 203 Papanui Road to complete an office fitout for NZ Funds in late 2017, forming office spaces with glazed aluminium frames and sliding partitions, alterations to existing services, new kitchen joinery units and full redecoration.