Business South June 2021

| 11 Invercargill Central The Invercargill Central redevelopment covers the entire block between Esk Street and Tay Street, bordered on the east and west by Kelvin and Dee Streets. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Leading the next generation of land development. admin@bonisch.nz (03) 218 2546 PROJECT MANAGEMENT SURVEYING PLANNING bonisch.nz One of the biggest infrastructure projects Invercargill has ever seen is unfolding in the very middle of the city as residents walk past the hoardings without much idea as to the level of activity happening behind them. Led by Invercargill Central, this ambitious inner-city redevelopment will replace a major portion of the ageing CBD with a modern, state-of-the-art business, retail and hospitality precinct. Managing director of Bonisch – the project’s planner and surveyor – Boyd Wilson said he and his team jumped at the chance to be involved. “Projects like this don’t come along often and we soon realised this was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change Invercargill for the better,” he said. Constructing a brand-new CBD within an existing space – a rigid block in the middle of Invercargill with existing and functioning businesses around it – comes with unique challenges, but Wilson wasn’t afraid to set a precedent. A project to demolish an entire city block containing several listed heritage buildings has never previously been undertaken in New Zealand – other than following a natural disaster. Legislation did not contemplate such a scenario and there were no examples for Bonisch to follow for managing the resource consent process. The irst steps involved surveying the existing buildings (the majority of which were a seismic risk) that made up the Once-in-a-generation opportunity CBD block before they were demolished. The team undertook a 3D scan survey of all the buildings, enabling them to capture measurements of complex objects and buildings to millimetre accuracy. That 3D model was then used by the project’s architects and engineers for the redevelopment design. A strategic approach to resource management from the outset, managing public consultation and the consent hearing process, engineering design for external infrastructure, taking on the lead planner role – they’re big tasks, but only a few of the endless list of requirements to bring such a project to fruition. Even now with the construction of the 600-plus carparking building well advanced, Bonisch continues to be the on-site surveyor every day, ensuring the best outcomes for the build. “A lot of people have put enormous e ort into making this project happen and Bonisch is hugely proud to be playing a part,” Wilson said. The new CBD is scheduled to open in stages between mid-to-late 2022. And as true believers in the project, those working at Bonisch will ind themselves taking up residence in the new development as one of the project’s original tenants. “It’s slightly poetic, in a way, moving into the building once it’s done. Almost like the ultimate stamp of con idence in your skills – to quite literally live in your own work,” Wilson said.