10 | Engage Group - Upper Village “We wanted to create a special building to put in a special town, and we think it has a good mix of the older elements of the town, but also some of the more modern, to complement the backdrop” DEVELOPMENT New QT complex has has plenty on offer The Upper Village complex comprises two buildings separated by an external mall, and with a total floor space of 5000sqm. Hugh de Lacy Tourist hotspot Queenstown is savouring an Australian company’s leaping the Tasman to turn a mini-golf course into an extensive entertainment, dining, and lifestyle hub on an elevated section offering spectacular views over the township, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Range. The nearly completed 3300sqm development on Brecon Street, 400m from the lakefront, is the work of Brisbane-based Engage Group. Called Upper Village, the complex comprises two buildings separated by an external mall, and with a total floor space of 5000sqm. The centrepiece of the complex is a 2900sqm Kingpin entertainment venue that includes bowling alleys, arcade games, escape rooms, karaoke, table tennis and virtual reality games, all supported by licensed bars with curated food menus. Australian-based Rockpool Dining Group has opened both a German-style beer house called The Bavarian, with seating for 300 people, and a Tex-Mex restaurant called El Camino Cantina. The other businesses on the precinct are global ice cream operator Anita Gelato, chocolatier Max Brenner and the Queenstown Ice Bar. Upper Village is on the site of the former Caddyshack mini-golf complex, between the iFly sky-diving centre and the Kiwi Birdlife Park, and just 150m from the Skyline gondola. The complex was designed by Brisbane-based architects BSPN, and features timber cladding, natural stone, glass, concrete and painted structural steel. “We wanted to create a special building to put in a special town, and we think it has a good mix of the older elements of the town, but also some of the more modern, to complement the backdrop,” Engage Group director Ben Grootemaat says. “We’re now pretty clear that Queenstown’s going to be a very good place to invest in, and we’re pretty bullish on the future. “When those (international) borders open, it’s actually going to be pretty hectic.” Local company Cook Brothers Construction built the Upper Village complex which its business development manager, Simon Glass, describes as one of the firm’s “highlight buildings”. “That whole thoroughfare from the town up to the Skyline Gondola is going to be pretty amazing,” he said. Upper Village is creating a raft of new jobs in Queenstown, whose tourism-based economy has been hard-hit by the Covid restrictions, with the Kingpin entertainment centre alone opening in February with between 60 and 70 staff. The Engage Group started out in suburban Hawthorne, Brisbane, with a core focus on creating successful demand and community-led developments. It went from project to project in Brisbane before setting out to realise international aspirations that led to investments in Queenstown, where it saw there the opportunity to create a large-format precinct based on experience-related entertainment users, as well as up-scale food and beverage tenancies. The group has in the process built itself a reputation in both Queensland and Queenstown for delivering unique, demand-driven developments by way of a small but diversified team possessing a wide range of skills. In 2017 the Engage Group identified a trend for small businesses seeking to buy commercial and warehouse space rather than leasing it, and created a brand called M-Space to fill this niche, and sought to provide the next generation of multi-use commercial space. Since then Engage has completed, or is in the process of completing eight separate M-Space developments in Brisbane, as well as the newly-opened Upper Village in Queenstown. “These developments have all been designed with flexibility in mind to cater for private individuals and small business requirements,” Ben says. “We have successfully given local businesses the opportunity to design purpose-built facilities, and for investors to support these local businesses with leased investments or land purchases. “It was this target market that spurred the development of Upper Village.” • Tray Roofing • 5 Rib/Corrugate/True Oak • Metal Wall Cladding • Rooflogic Warm Roof Systems • Metrotile • TPO & Torch on Membrane roofing/tanking • Asphalt Shingles • Windsor Garage Doors • Premier Insulation • Scaffolding Suppliers & Installers of: P: 03 445 0553 W: www.extremeroofing.co.nz E: info@extremeroofing.co.nz
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