10 | Whakatane District Council: Alaska Construction T T Richard Loader Staff input driver in refurbishment Council Chambers and governance areas were relocated to the ground floor. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT In July this year, staff at Whakatane District Council moved into their refurbished air-conditioned office building, and a brandnew style of working together. The origins of the project commenced in 2017 when a need to seismically strengthen and air-condition the two storey Civic Centre was identified. Most parts of the building were barren of air-conditioning, and were sweltering in the summer, while freezing in the winter. During the planning phase, the opportunity was taken to re-evaluate how the building was used by the people who work within it, and the wider community. The decision was made to relocate the Council Chambers and governance areas from the first floor to the ground floor, effectively improving the community’s access to democracy, while also creating community spaces. With space freed up on the first floor, consideration was then given to future proofing the working environment and how space could be more effectively used, with staff brought into the planning process. Staff engagement in the project was a massive driver, particularly in the design layout and functionality of the building, explains Council Organisational Change Manager Michelle Trudgen. “Prior to refurbishment, we were a very traditional open plan layout, with one hundred and eighty desks but a study showed that desk occupancy was only 43%. It also felt as though the building was bursting at the seams and while there were meeting rooms there were no collaboration spaces.” The refurbished building now boasts an ‘Our Space’ environment where staff work in neighbourhoods rather than assigned desks. Staff were also involved in developing etiquettes for how they work. “We have incorporated twenty-one meeting rooms, eighteen collaboration spaces, focus rooms, chat rooms, as well as wellness rooms. So, it’s the same footprint but a lot of space that’s really flexible and allows for a hybrid way of working. It feels infinitely more spacious than it did previously, and importantly staff feel it’s a really beautiful and comfortable place to work. There is a really strong cultural narrative running through the building, and it was really important that the whole district felt a sense of place and connection with the building. Jamie Boynton is a local Māori artist engaged to create the cultural narrative.” Alongside the paradigm-shift in how people work and interact, is the installation of an efficient air-conditioning system and a number of energy-saving initiatives. “We were very conscious of ensuring the budget was spent in places where there was most value. Double glazing was retrofitted into the existing window frames and that has provided great thermal efficiency. All lighting was replaced with energy efficient LEDs, and as much as possible we’ve used ‘green’ materials. For example, the Autex Acoustics system has been made from recycled materials, and it looks amazing too. We have also looked to the future by allowing for solar roof panels to be installed at a later date.” From the seismic strengthening perspective, 314 catcher brackets were custom manufactured and fitted underneath the first-floor beams, so that in the event of a significant earthquake if any of the beams failed they would be caught by the catcher brackets, preventing a collapse of the building. A key player in the project was Alaska Construction Interiors who Michelle says has been part of the project journey from the early design stages. “They did a fantastic job of keeping the project on track and completed within the timeframe and on budget, which given the construction environment was pretty unheard Proudly Supporting Whakatane District Council Building your Vision, Together 027 454 8302 | whitebuildersmt@gmail.com | www.whitebuildersmt.co.nz Call us on 07 571 1114 today. carpet, f loors &more Cnr 11th Ave & Cameron Rd, Tauranga www.theflooringroom.co.nz Your COMMERCIAL FLOORING SPECIALISTS
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