Private developer the Tawera Group has won a tender to restore the rate payer-owned Civic Administration building in Aotea Square.

Just how much the company’s buying the public asset for is unknown as the deal has not yet been completed.

Tawera Group CFO John Love said its proposal for the ‘Civic Quarter’, features residential apartments, food and beverage facilities, a hotel and a Whare Tapere performance space.

He said the project is transformational – it’s blends a mix of cultural, commercial, retail and residential – something they’ve never attempted before.

“At the moment the south-eastern end of the square is poorest. It’s a concrete and tarmac wasteland. We are going to absolutely revitalise the space, creating a depth of community, reactivating it and just adding top to the fabric of the city.”

The city’s urban development agency, Panuku Development – says selling to a developer is a win-win – as it will come at no cost to rate payers.

But Auckland Mayor Len Brown said what it sells for to Tawera Group might not ever be made public.

“We will announce as much as we can and whether that includes the sale price is a matter for Panuku to give us advice on.”

Mr Love said the work would cost $200 million to $300m, but it was his preference for the sale price to be kept confidential.

Tawera and the council’s development arm, Panuku Development Auckland, are still completing the sale negotiations.

Mr Brown said the debate about the future of the 18-storey Civic Building had been in the public eye. He wanted to maintain transparency around the sale but said the land was being sold privately and it was not just ratepayers’ concerns that were an issue.

The $27.2 million sale of another civic space – Queen Elizabeth Square to Precinct Properties for a commercial development – was made public.

Mr Love announced that the ground and mezzanine floors of the Civic Building would be used for bars, cafes and restaurants and the rest of the building converted into apartments.

The Civic was designed in the mid-1950s and completed in 1966. It was Auckland’s first skyscraper and regarded as a fine example of modernist architecture. It has a Category A heritage listing.

As the Herald reported yesterday, three shortlisted companies to restore the building and develop the surrounding land. The other shortlisted companies were Willis Bond & Co and Rebel Property Group.

Brown said the population in the central city was expected to double in the next 30 years, so accommodation options were essential.

“This scheme is a fantastic way to achieve this. It’s all about making the most of the opportunities we have in a growing city,” he said.

Said Mr Love of the ‘Civic Quarter’ project: “It will blend an iconic Auckland landmark with cutting-edge design ensuring that the Aotea Quarter becomes a must-visit destination.”

Tawera has refurbished several older office buildings in the area, including the Hopetoun Residences in Hopetoun St, Park Lane Apartments in Greys Ave and St James Apartments opposite the Auckland Art Gallery.

Auckland Council heritage manager Noel Reardon said it was great to see such an iconic building being restored. The council’s heritage team will work closely with the developers to ensure the heritage features are retained and restored, he said.

Mr Love was keen to keep the former Auckland City Council coat of arms on the northern face of the Civic Building.

Building is expected to begin in the middle of next year and take three years.

Early last year, the council moved about 450 staff from the Aotea Square building to the old ASB Tower in Albert St.

In spite of years of abuse about its ugliness we just couldn’t fathom the idea of it being demolished when that become an option. In the years since its completion in 1966, it had become an iconic landmark. Albeit a slightly redundant landmark.

Thankfully, the modernist building is now in safe hands and will not only remain an icon but will be part of an exciting new development for the heart of Auckland. And all at the hands of a New Zealand based family owned company that has a history of preserving iconic New Zealand structures while allowing them to move with the times.

After an international tender process, Auckland’s urban development agency, Panuku Development Auckland, selected New Zealand development company Love & Co. to take on the development of the building.

Tawera Group has a long history of award winning developments within New Zealand including the NZIA Award winning Chaffers Dock Apartments in Wellington, the BOMA Award winning Park Lane Apartment property in Auckland, the BOMA Award winning St James building development in central Auckland, the James Hardie NZ Institute of Building Award winning St Francis serviced apartments and boutique hotel in Wellington and the New Zealand Property Council Award winning 132 Vincent St development in Auckland to name just a few.

In spite of Tawera Group’s history principal John Love admits that this is a big milestone for the company.

“We are both pleased and extremely proud to have been mandated by council to undertake this transformational development. Tawera Group, a family owned and operated organisation has a long history of reviving, reinvigorating, and reinventing buildings that are no longer fit for their original purpose.This will be our largest project to date, however, we have the experience, skills and team to deliver it on time and on budget.”

Tawera Group’s vision of Civic Quarter Apartment and hotel plans for Aotea Square sees the building being converted into apartments above a stylish collection of bars and restaurants. The project also includes a 100-room hotel along Mayoral Drive and performance space off Aotea Square.

“This project will blend an iconic Auckland landmark with cutting-edge design ensuring that the Civic Quarter becomes a must-visit destination. We have assembled the best possible team for this project, including my wife Josephine (our Director of Design) Jasmax Architects, Naylor Love and BECA.”

The project will start in 2017 and is expect to take three years. You can’t rush an icon of course.

To register your interest in this project email info@civicquarter.com

The Auckland Administration Building, or Civic Building as it’s known, sits on the edge of Aotea Square and has been used by the council since it was built in 1966.

It will be restored and the surrounding area developed under a private sector proposal designed to breathe life back into central Auckland.

It will feature residential apartments in the top floors with bars and restaurants at the bottom, and office space in between. A new apartment building on the corner of Mayoral Drive will be built, along with a hotel and a performance space.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown says Civic Quarter shows what is possible if we make the most of the opportunities we have with heritage buildings.

“With the population in the central city expected to double in the next 30 years, it’s essential we develop new accommodation options to make this a liveable city. This scheme is a fantastic way to achieve this. It’s all about making the most of the land and opportunities we have in a growing city.”

Twelve million dollars will have to be spent to remove the asbestos, which has plagued the building since the 1980s.

Tawera Group was announced today as the developer.

“It will blend an iconic Auckland landmark with cutting-edge design ensuring that the Aotea Quarter becomes a must-visit destination for all,” says Tawera Group principal John Love.

It was once Auckland’s tallest building, designed by Tibor Donner and opened in 1966.

It’s often featured in lists of Auckland’s ugliest buildings, but is also listed as a Category A heritage building.

It’s had a significant place in Auckland’s history, having been a seat for local government since it was built – until last year, when Auckland Council staff moved out and expressions of interest were sought for development.

Construction on the project is expected to begin next year and be completed in 2020.

Newshub.

The developer, Tawera Group, plans to remove asbestos from the Civic Building and convert the office tower into apartments with bars, restaurants and cafes at ground level.

The sale includes 5000sq m of land, which will be used for a boutique, 100-room hotel fronting Mayoral Drive and a retail/office/apartment tower on the Mayoral Drive/Greys Ave corner.

A building featuring a “whare tapere” performance space fronting Aotea Square will be built on land surrounding the Civic. A total of 120 homes are planned.

The “Civic Quarter” project “will blend an iconic Auckland landmark with cutting-edge design ensuring that the Aotea Quarter becomes a must-visit destination”, says Tawera Group principal John Love.

Love was keen for the sale price to be kept confidential in final negotiations with the council’s Panuku Development Auckland, but last night Panuku’s project director Clive Fuhr said the sale price would be made public.

Mayor Len Brown was also keen to maintain transparency around the sale for part of Aotea Square, which he called a “critical part of the heart of our city”.

The $27.2m sale of another civic space – Queen Elizabeth Square to Precinct Properties for a commercial development – was made public.

The Civic was designed in the mid-1950s and completed in 1966. It was Auckland’s first skyscraper and regarded as a fine example of modernist architecture. It has a Category A heritage listing.

Panuku selected Tawera Group from three shortlisted companies to restore the building and develop the surrounding land. The other shortlisted companies were Willis Bond & Co and Rebel Property Group.

Brown said the population in the central city was expected to double in the next 30 years, so accommodation options were essential.

“This scheme is a fantastic way to achieve this. It’s all about making the most of the opportunities we have in a growing city,” he said.

Tawera has refurbished several older office buildings in the area, including the Hopetoun Residences in Hopetoun St, Park Lane Apartments in Greys Ave and St James Apartments opposite the Auckland Art Gallery.

Auckland Council heritage manager Noel Reardon said it was great to see such an iconic building being restored. The council’s heritage team would work closely with the developers to ensure the heritage features were retained and restored, he said.

Love was keen to keep the former Auckland City Council coat of arms on the northern face of the Civic Building.

Building is expected to begin in the middle of next year and take three years.

Early last year, the council moved about 450 staff from the Aotea Square building to the old ASB Tower in Albert St.

– NZ Herald

Following on from an international tender process that attracted global interest, developer Love and Co. was selected to restore the Category A heritage building and transform the precinct. Designed by Jasmax, the mixed-use development will be built by Naylor Love Construction and Beca.

The new Civic Quarter will feature residential apartments in the upper floors of the Civic building, with food and beverage facilities at street level. Adjacent and fronting onto Aotea Square will be a new commercial building, featuring a Whare Tapere performance space for cultural activities.

The Quarter will also incorporate a new apartment building on the corner of Mayoral Drive as well as a 100-odd bedroom boutique hotel on Mayoral Drive itself.

The number of apartments within the Civic Administration Building have not yet been decided, but Tawera principal Jack Love says the focus will be on quality owner-occupier apartments.

The Tawera Group proposal was selected with guidance from a panel of urban design experts and heritage advisors. Mana whenua were also part of the selection process, ensuring the Te Aranga Maori Design principles were incorporated.

Shane Cotton, a New Zealand-born international artist, has been engaged to facilitate public art installations that will enrich the strong cultural sense of the Quarter.

“The Civic Quarter will bring new energy and vitality into the south-western part of Aotea Square, which ties in perfectly with the notion of “vertical villages” that we want to encourage in Auckland. This development is about connecting public spaces and giving as much of the ground plane back to public use,” comments Auckland Mayor Len Brown.

James Whetter, principal and head of residential design at Jasmax, comments, “A key part of this brief is to strengthen and reinforce the Aotea Quarter framework, which is all about the arts, and to improve what’s currently performing poorly in the case of urban design around this part of the city.

“Civic Quarter will be a truly mixed-use development, with hotels, residential, commercial and retail, all hung off the idea of a heavily food-based ground plane. At the moment there’s very little on offer in terms of food and beverage in this area,” says Whetter.

Tibor Donner, chief architect of the Auckland City Council from 1946 to 1967, designed the Civic Administration Building in the mid 1950s, with completion in 1966. New Zealand’s first skyscraper, it is an example of modernist architecture, incorporating what were then innovative building techniques.

Building of the Civic Quarter is expected to start in mid-2017 and take three years.