| 17 T T Kelly Deeks Bringing heritage building back to life Drifter Christchurch is located in a six-storey marble-fronted heritage building built in 1919. Waghorn Builders REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A newly restored Sol Square heritage building reopened in June in Christchurch for the first time since the earthquakes. Local company Waghorn Builders completed the three-and-a-half-year refurbishment project for a new accommodation operator with a unique offer for the Garden City. Now owned by the Drifter Group, Drifter Christchurch is located in the six-storey marble-fronted heritage building built in 1919, and designed by William Gummer, one of the architects involved in Christchurch’s Bridge of Remembrance. Christchurch investor Liz Harris bought the building from David Henderson in 2018, and completed the repairs and base build with Waghorn Builders before selling to Drifter Christchurch in 2023. Drifter is a new brand out of Australia, which is opening its first two locations, Drifter Christchurch and Drifter Byron Bay this year. Drifter is up-speccing the hostel experience with its new hotel/hostel hybrid concept and design-centric aesthetic. In Christchurch, it offers a diverse range of 95 rooms from private suites to premium bunk rooms combined with workspaces and meeting rooms, a wellbeing studio, a cinema, a communal kitchen, a bar and restaurant, a selection of retail and beverage venues, together with a roster of entertainment events featuring local and international artists and musicians. Waghorn Builders director Luke Waghorn says the project was “a monster”, and it put his growing construction business into the next bracket. “It started off as an earthquake-strengthening project on charge up, then it morphed into a large tender for further works of which we managed to pip several tier-one contractors at the post,” he says. “We completed a full re-clad of the existing cement sheeting, new windows and cavity system, including full replacement of framing to the external walls, major repairs to the Takaka marble to fix the façade, then on to a lot of structural-steel strengthening to bring the building up to new EQ standards, followed by room reinstatements throughout. “The building had been empty since the earthquakes so it was in a pretty bad state. There was a vast amount of rot, and a lot of demolition and repair work was required.” The building was sold off to Drifter in May 2023. New development plans included more than 60 new rooms and big open communal spaces on levels one and two, a new lift shaft spanning four storeys, and a full new groundfloor bar and restaurant. This project required a lot of dedication, countless man-hours, and plenty of blood sweat and tears from the Waghorn team. A complete redesign to maximise occupancy was thrown in the mix, which meant the time pressures were outrageously intensive. The hotel fit-out alone was worth over $10 million and Waghorn Builders delivered it inside 10 months. ”I took this project on to test myself and see if we could pull it off, and secondly to show others what we are capable of. The project has definitely been testing for myself, my project management team and all of our staff and subcontractors involved. “There have been many breakdowns, arguments, and toys thrown, but it is truly impressive looking back and seeing what we have managed to achieve by working collectively as a team. I don’t think there would be too many commercial renovations of this size and magnitude being undertaken in Christchurch, and we are humbled and proud to be a part of it.” Waghorn Builders completed the three-and-a-half-year refurbishment project for a new accommodation operator in Christchurch. 03 366 7686 admin@completepowersolutions.co.nz www.completepowersolutions.co.nz At CPS, our mission is to provide unparalleled electrical services to both residential and commercial clients. We strive to deliver exceptional quality services that are reliable, safe, and efficient. Residential • Commercial • Property Management Work Office & Shop Fit Outs • New Homes & Architectural Builds Scheduled Maintenance • Coffee Machines The staff at CPS love their coffee! We service, repair and provide maintenance for most major brands of domestic and commercial coffee machines. Our certified electricians provide efficient service, including regular check-ups and servicing, repairs, and replacement of faulty parts. CPS have a new partnership with Jura, and we stock their latest fully automatic coffee machines—come down to our showroom and see the range!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=