94 | Completing projects with style and Grace The vibrant library space. from page 92 LIFESTYLE Wigram Retirement Village: Grace Builders “The arrangement was that we project manage everything, get all the subcontractors quotes together and present John with a budget for the build, and then commence development.” The village’s master plan was developed by Foley Group Architecture, with Eliot Sinclair engaged to survey the ground and complete all civil design work, with the development project broken up into several succinct stages carried out over the eight-year period. “The whole project design had to be thought out in advance, to gain resource consent. For example, the fire pump had to be the right size for the whole complex, not just one building. The valve house was built with all the equipment in it for the whole complex, and the same with the boiler house. It had to be built with all the services in it for the whole complex, before all the buildings were built. That’s part of the complexity of building a development in stages over eight years.” Construction commenced in 2014 with ground broken by Maugers Contracting, who continued their involvement throughout the journey of the project. The first stage was the development of 51 villas on the western end of the site, starting with consent to build 16 villas that were completed in March 2015. “The rest were built immediately after that in blocks of two or three, with one standalone villa,” says Tony. “We might’ve had five villas on the go at once, and the foundation crew would just keep ahead of us putting the floors in, with the infrastructure going in at the same time. “We then commenced the next fifty villas, at the eastern end of the site, with all villas completed by the end of 2017. “The villas range from 105sqm to 115sqm and one and two bedrooms, and some with studies. They’re very comfortable homes with cathedral ceilings, air conditioning, gas fires and reticulated gas, and stone chimneys.” The third stage was construction of what is referred to as Building One, and forms part of The Clubhouse and the village’s main entry. Completed at the end of 2017, the two-storey building includes administrative offices, movie theatre, billiard room, library, dining room, commercial kitchen, and lounges. There are also four apartments on the ground level and twelve on the upper level. Also forming part of The Clubhouse, and at right angles to Building One, is a three-storey building completed a year later. Referred to as Building two, it includes indoor swimming pool, spa, gymnasium, storage rooms and public conveniences. Buildings four and five form Lady Wigram’s care facilities. Built concurrently and completed in March 2021, the two storey buildings were the two biggest elements in terms of floor area. Separated by a courtyard, the buildings are connected by walkways at the upper and lower levels. While the lower level of Building Four includes two 20-bed units and is dedicated to dementia/mind care, the upper level is a 37bed hospital. Building Five is the Premium Care Home consisting of 40 rooms with ensuites on the lower level. The upper level has 23 hospital beds and communal areas. The building also has administrative offices, a large dining room, three lounges including a bar lounge and large dining area, and the main kitchen servicing the whole care facility. “All the main infrastructure to the village was completed by the time Buildings Four and Five were completed,” explains Tony. “Then it was just connecting the last two buildings into the existing infrastructure.” Also completed in April 2021 was Building Three, a two-storey apartment block at the village’s eastern end, with eight apartments on each level. “We’ve just completed Building Six on the western side, which includes 32 apartments over three levels on the western end, and is the largest building of them all. “It has a bar/lounge, separate lounge, dining area, activities room, beautician’s clinic and serviced by two lifts, along with three sets of stairwells. There’s also a large multi-use room which can be hired out for things like family events.” With the village now all but complete, Tony reflects that the main project challenge was coordination and ensuring everyone was working cohesively and well together. “The key to that was having subcontractors on board that we used throughout the entire project. Maugers’ work went fantastically. “All the trades worked really well together, and people used to comment that it was such a pleasure to come to a site, where common sense prevailed. It’s a team effort and if everyone has buy-in and ownership of the project the quality of workmanship is vastly improved. “We had very few site meetings with subcontractors because we roam around the site talking with them, pre-empting problems and looking for solutions. Being flexible — that’s the key, along with having a can-do attitude. The job has to be done and we can do it.” 027 441 2021 • sales@control insulation.co.nz For prompt service, good advice and a free quote, call us today! All work guaranteed New & Existing Home Insulation Commercial Insulation Specialists Healthy Homes assessments www.controlinsulation.co.nz “your insulation specialists” control insulation LTD Phone: +64272920262 | Email: janine.branje@hushinteriors.co.nz www.hushinteriors.co.nz Quality ceiling installations and associated system products • Suspended ceilings • Wall partitioning systems • Thermal and acoustic insulation • Autex Acoustics and pin-boards, for any sector, including commercial, residential, education, industrial and more. Proud to have provided Suspended Ceilings for Grace Builders Ltd. • Doors • Facades • Canopies • Balustrades • Partitions • Windbreaks • Glass Floors • Frameless Showers The most informed advice and experience in frameless glass systems and concepts t: 0800 847 434 w: viridianglass.co.nz Electrical, Automation, Mechanical, Design. FITZWILLIAM ELECTRICAL PO Box 32-042 65 Nursery Road, Phillipstown, 8011, Christchurch. Phone: (03) 389 2163 Fax: (03) 389 2162 E-mail: info@fitz.co.nz www.fitzwilliamelectrical.co.nz Fitzwilliam Electrical is proud to be associated with Grace Builders Ltd
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