| 115 BUILDING Build Brilliant Construction Providing a seamless experience Build Brilliant has completed many striking projects in the shop and office fit-out sector. T T Sue Russell After graduating with a degree in architecture from Victoria University, then working as a draftsman, Louis Lu’s journey has seen him progress to ownership of construction company, Build Brilliant, based in Mt Wellington in Auckland. Building had always fascinated Louis, so he decided to extend his skill-base and become a qualified builder. Having worked initially in scaffolding, he then spent three years working through his building apprenticeship with a reputable master builder. “Having the design and building skills has proven really valuable,” Louis says. “It means I can assist with ideas so that a home or an alteration aren’t over-designed and over-spec’d, especially when there are budgetary considerations.” He says it really adds value to the project to be involved in those early conversations, coming from a ‘practical build’ perspective and being able to recommend more cost-effective materials. “These days, we literally offer turnkey services, taking care of every element in a design- and-build process, always with the goals to make the building experience seamless and stressless for our clients.” With 44 carpenters on-site and 10 staff working in the office, Louis understands the responsibility of ensuring there’s enough work scheduled ahead to keep everyone engage, and says he is busy enough for the current economic climate. Build Brilliant is currently working on a massive accommodation project at 280 Queen Street, central Auckland. Comprising 15 storeys and 332 rooms, the hotel will feature a roof-top bar, gym retail stores, time zone, and food and beverage shops. Work began on the project in September 2024 and is proceeding well. Louis expects to hand it over to clients Michael Chow and Stonewood Group, in late August. “We initially got involved to help with some smaller elements to the build and then got involved in the design and one thing led to another,” he says. While the project’s scale is ambitious to say the least, it is not the largest project Louis and the team have been involved in. A pet food factory, Zeal, spanning some 3000sqm was completed for main contractor Oriental Construction two years ago. “We were doing the interior fit-out. The external framing and cladding was on the building. Often in large commercial builds such as this one, we work along with other companies.” Louis describes the residential development sector as very slow, saying that traditional developers are hedging towards commercial work at this time. “There is demand for the development of shared office space, as small business owners, for instance, don’t want the cost of leasing a larger space than they need at this time.” There is also good traction occurring in the shop and office fit-out space, which Louis says has been good to see at this time. While headquartered in Mt Wellington, where the company has been based since last year, its projects are spread across New Zealand. “Shopping malls have approved contractor lists and we’re one of the few Chinese companies carrying that credentialling. It took me seven years to work through all the necessary compliances and systems to gain this approval.” Louis first came to New Zealand as an international exchange student. He says he’s relished his time studying first in Australia before becoming based here. “We’re doing design and build and bringing in replacement material from China. Rules have just changed here, allowing some materials to be used in construction that are not rated here. It opens up a whole lot of opportunities into the future to build really cost-effectively, and I welcome this initiative to bring some pricing rationale into the sector.” Design | Build | Maintain info@tatelectrical.co.nz | www.tatelectrical.co.nz Proudly supporting Build Brilliant Construction Ginkgo Architectural Design 10+ years of blending creativity with spatial strategy - 2015 to 2025 Architectural New Build Subdivision Alteration Commercial Visualisation Tel: +64 09 532 8800 Mail: info@ginkgoarchi.co.nz Web: www.ginkgoarchi.co.nz
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