| 81 Alaska Construction & Interiors T T Hugh de Lacy Reclaimed materials put to good use at station No police station in the country has been designed and built with the level of iwi and community involvement as the Cambridge facility. BUILDING Socially and architecturally the new Cambridge Police Station was a radical concept for the community, no less than for Alaska Construction and Interiors which built it, but a year on from its opening it has proved as successful as it was innovative. No police station in the country has been designed and built with the iwi and community involvement that marked the planning and execution of the Cambridge facility, which opened in September last year. It involved a signed partnership between Tainui Group Holdings and the NZ Police to build a modern, sustainable, community-focused station, with the physical construction delivered by Alaska supported by a range of sub-contractors who, under the agreement, included Tainuui-affiliated businesses. The building reflects the Police strategy of Te Huringa o te Tai to improve the outcomes of Police work for mana whenua. At its opening Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the centre “includes the concepts of manaakitanga, haumarutango, hapori providing services to the community and enabling public safety.” The facility features a whanau room, an open constable’s room, break-out rooms, a tactical asset room, and a wellness room opening onto a courtyard which also serves as a memorial space for staff who have worked in Cambridge but are no longer there. “There was a very strong weighting in the tender agreement towards using Tainui affiliated businesses, and about 10% of the structure by value was delivered by the likes of carpenters and bricklayers employed by no fewer than nine such businesses,” Alaska’s Regional Director, Liam Osborne, says. As well as the head office in Auckland, Alaska Construction and Interiors, formed in 2006, has branches in Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Invercargill employing a staff of around 80 on a range of projects. The Cambridge Police Station architect and designer was the Hamilton firm Puna Architecture, working under a brief that required it to specify, where possible, materials from within a 200km radius. “Where possible we were also required to use the materials from the demolished old Police Sergeant’s house, including its rimu tongue-in-groove flooring, and old wall-linings that were re-purposed by being dug into the soil,” Liam says. The old house also yielded 1400 bricks which were salvaged for re-use on the facades of the building at the whanau room and at the rear side to represent contemporary pou, linking the new building to the old. The building went on to win a Special Award and a Silver at the Master Builders’ 2022 Commercial Project Award for Civil Projects. “The new station attracted a huge level of local interest – this is a Police building like no other – and on the open days hundreds more people went through it than were expected. “The Tainui and NZ Police involvement was cutting-edge stuff: they were courageous to go outside the traditional thinking for such a facility. It’s been well received by the local community and Alaska Construction and Interiors are proud to have contributed to such an innovative development in relations between Police and the community,” Liam says. Wayne Brown P: 027 319 7497 E: valleycoatings@yahoo.com • Specialist Finishes • Qualified Tradesman • Commercial • Residential • Cowsheds • Painting • Wall Papering Water Proofing • • External Plastering E2 (Licensed Building Practitioner) Proud to support Alaska Construction & Interiors with Sto Plastering The team at CHP Electrical are proud to be associated with Alaska Construction & Interiors Phone 07 848 2122 or 0800 245 368 Email: info@chp.nz www.chpelectrical.nz Here at Superior Fabrication, we love making dreams a reality. With our competent fabricators and wealth of knowledge, we have the ability to fabricate anything - provided it's made of metal. Working mostly with Builders, Architects, Construction companies and Interior fit-out companies. We take a holistic approach to manufacturing, offering services including structural steel framing, balustrades, handrails, facades, staircases, decorative metalwork and much more. Talk to Superior Fabrication Ltd today for all of your engineering requirements! www.superiorfabrication.co.nz 28 Euclid Ave, Te Rapa 3200, Hamilton 07 444 4556 sales@superiorfabrication.co.nz
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