Britomart developer Peter Cooper unveils plan for nine-level $350m office tower in Auckland CBD
The man behind downtown Auckland heritage precinct Britomart has today announced plans for a new nine-level $350 million office building – the first major commercial development for the CBD this year.
Cooper and Company executive chairman Peter Cooper (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri) said Britomart Central would be a new office building with retail and hospitality at the ground level.
That will replace low-rise The Pavilions, two groups of single-level buildings designed by Cheshire Architects in 2012, between the former Central Post Office and Takutai Square.
Some retailers and hospitality businesses there would move to a new cluster of temporary buildings facing Takutai Square while Britomart Central is built, Cooper said.
LT McGuinness has been appointed to do the preparatory building works on the site, leased from the Auckland Council.
Britomart Central is aimed to be finished by early 2029, Cooper said today.
The Pavilions won a New Zealand Institute of Architects award in 2015 in the commercial architecture category, but judges then also noted the Cheshire Architects’ buildings were temporary.
Businesses trading from there include The Store, Trelise Cooper, Karen Walker, Deadly Ponies, Fabric, Allbirds, Sass & Bide, Juliette Hogan and Ortolana.
This was the next major investment in Britomart’s evolution and a vote of confidence in the downtown waterfront area, Cooper said.
“Britomart Central is a significant step in our long-term regeneration of the Britomart district.
“It reflects what we’ve learned over the past two decades about how to create places where businesses can thrive, while adding another important layer to the Britomart’s ongoing development.”
The project has been designed by two architecture firms:
- Cheshire Architects did the neighbouring The Hotel Britomart.
- Peddlethorp designed refurbishments of the Hayman Kronfeld and Australis Nathan buildings.
The new block’s design separates it into two structures, joined by an atrium.
That would allow two sets of naming rights and separate entries for businesses.
Despite sluggish economic growth, Cooper said there was continued demand for high-quality workplaces with large floor plates in well-connected locations.
Britomart is above the City Rail Link and opposite the downtown ferry terminals.
Many Cooper and Company tenants in the precinct are in the Westpac and EY building facing Takutai Square.
That building opened in 2011 and its green-star rating is below the target set for Britomart Central.
Whether negotiations are being held for some of those tenants to move to the new Britomart Central is unknown.
Cooper said he had no tenant pre-commitments.
Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, the Reserve Bank, Westpac, EY, Financial Markets Authority, Auror, global infrastructure advisers Arup, investment firm Morrison, lawyers Anderson Lloyd, Duncan Cotterill and Greenwood Roche, architecture firms Peddlethorp, Monk Mackenzie and Tailor Inc are tenants in the precinct.
In 2004, Cooper and Company struck a 150-year development deed with the council to develop and operate the Britomart district.
The company leases but does not own the land.
Matthew Cockram, Cooper and Company chief executive, said travel patterns were shifting and workplace quality expectations rising.
The City Rail Link is due to open in the second half of this year, he noted.
Britomart Central
- Planned by Peter Cooper’s Cooper and Company;
- Nine levels of offices, retail/hospitality at ground;
- To be built on two city blocks near the waterfront;
- Site bounded by Commerce, Gore, Galway and Tyler Sts;
- Land leased for 150 years from the Auckland Council;
- Designed by Cheshire Architects and Peddlethorp;
- Builder: LT McGuinness to do preparatory works;
- Estimated date of completion: 2029.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
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