| 87 T T Kelly Deeks Mutual benefit ensured 57 Hands Road h brings together two long-established Canterbury businesses. Walker Architecture ARCHITECTURE Walker Architecture’s new commercial development at 57 Hands Road in Christchurch brings together two long-established Canterbury businesses with very different operational needs, but a shared requirement for purpose-built space to support national growth. McKenzie & Willis and Bremca each came to the project with demands for increased capacity, efficiency challenges, and the need for a site that could evolve alongside their expanding markets. The Hands Rd development has given both companies the rare opportunity to design their spaces from the ground up, working collaboratively with each other and architect Jason Walker to create tailored facilities under one roof. For McKenzie & Willis, a national retailer servicing customers throughout the country, the challenge was an increasingly inefficient split across two Christchurch warehouses. With growing North Island distribution and high-volume stock movements supporting stores nationwide, the business needed a single, centralised warehouse that could streamline handling and improve visibility of product flow. “We service the whole country and had simply outgrown the two-site set-up,” McKenzie & Willis director Tim Willis says. “Consolidating into one building gives us far better control of the stock that gets sent to our stores and customers. Hands Rd is close to our Blenheim Rd showroom and right in the area where our Christchurch customers are – Cashmere, Merivale, Fendalton, Burnside – so location was critical.” Bremca arrived at the development with a different set of pressures. As New Zealand’s largest switchboard manufacturer, with more than 50 years of roots in Canterbury, the company needed additional space to accommodate rising demand for large-scale outdoor kiosks, prefabricated switch rooms, and general engineering work. Its existing 6000sqm Christchurch facility lacked the dedicated capacity required for the next stage of its national expansion. “To stay ahead in switchboards, switchgear, and automation, we need to meet growing needs,” Bremca managing director Andrew McLean says. “This new development provides space to manufacture large-scale enclosures without seasonal or capacity limitations. It also allows us to bring more operations in-house and offer customers a genuine one-stop solution.” With both tenants seeking made-to-measure operational improvements, Walker Architecture developed a coordinated design that respects the distinct workflows of each business, while allowing the building to function as a cohesive whole. Sharing an architect and landlord meant McKenzie & Willis and Bremca could work through their requirements together, ensuring the final layout delivered efficiency, accessibility, and future-proofing. Tim says the collaborative approach has been a major factor in achieving a warehouse that finally matches the company’s scale. Designing from scratch allowed McKenzie & Willis to secure better dimensions, higher stud heights, improved canopies, and racking capacity maximised to suit its product profile. “It’s been hard to find a site that works perfectly for us, so building from the ground up means no compromises,” he says. “Jason and the team have created something purpose-built, and after a few iterations we’ve ended up with exactly what we need. We’re excited to move in around April.” Bremca’s new space will support more than 100 Christchurch staff, and includes an additional 40 car parks. Andrew says the development marks another milestone in the business’s sustained national momentum, following recent upgrades to its Southland and Waikato branches. “As a wholly New Zealand-owned company, we’re grateful for the support that allows us to keep investing back into our capacity,” he says. “This expansion positions us as a company large enough to deliver, but small enough to care.” AUCKLAND CENTRAL CHRISTCHURCH OTAGO SOUTHLAND bremca.nz | sales@bremca.nz | 03 332 6370 SWITCHBOARDS SWITCHGEAR AUTOMATION SHEETMETAL FABRICATION SWITCHROOMS
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