New Tauranga campus scores big wins at property people awards

The University of Waikato’s new Tauranga Campus won the Bank of New Zealand Supreme Excellence Award at the second annual Bay of Plenty Property People Awards

And that was just one of three titles awarded to the $55 million Campus, which opened earlier  this year.

The facility also won the Sharp Tudhope Lawyers Urban Design and Architectural Award and the Greenstone Group Best Team Award. After two decades of community lobbying and fundraising, the 8400sqm state-of-the-art multi-purpose teaching and research facility, now accommodates 1000
students and staff, with multi-purpose spaces for the local community.

“This project truly exceeded expectations – Greenstone Group, Rider Levett Bucknall, Jasmax, Beca, Hawkins and the broader team, have delivered an exemplary building,” the judges said.

“The result is a beautiful, well-crafted campus, that has enormous benefits for the community.”

Greenstone Group BOP regional director Darryl Fox told Bay of Plenty Business News he believed the project had picked up the three awards for several reasons. These included the collaboration of all the parties to overcome some significant challenges of what was already a challenging project.

“The vision was set in the first six months of the project and the risks around this vision were closely monitored and managed, allowing the completion of a very successful project well within the time and on budget,” said Fox.

“Then there was the commitment of each and every one of the project team to deliver the best possible outcome for the project. All members went the extra mile to ensure the right outcome was achieved.”

We were impressed from day one that this was a community vision… It’s been a very good showcase project in that sense
– Neil Martin

Neil Martin, a principal at Jasmax, told Bay of Plenty Business News that a key takeaway from the project for the architects was the involvement from the beginning of all stakeholders, including mana whenua.

“That brought a whole spirit to the project, which we think we tapped into successfully and helped inspire the building that’s there.”

That was capped off by the artwork in the atrium and outside the building.

“The Tauranga community has set a great example in the realisation of this project,” he said. “We were impressed from day one that this was a community vision, basically generated by a combination of the tertiary sector, the business community and council, etc. It’s been a very good showcase project in that sense.”

Recognising excellence

The awards recognise excellence in people in property, and are open to Property Council members and non-members in the Bay of Plenty region (including Tauranga, Whakatane, Rotorua, Taupo).

This year, 27 nominations were received across eight categories, with more than 250 people attending the awards dinner.

Property Council Bay of Plenty Branch president Brooke Courtney said the high calibre of nominations meant the judging panel had a difficult task.

“But it’s fantastic to see the region proudly showcasing their achievements which all contribute to the community,” she said.

The project team behind the innovative The Kollective co-working space for not-for-profits in 17th Avenue’s Historic Village won the The Bayleys Judges’ Choice Award. (see story here).

Michele Wacker, Principal at Crowther and Company, took home the Colliers International Women in Property Award. (see story here)

Bringing together multiple stakeholders and sources of funding, the team had delivered a beautiful, well-crafted project that has enormous benefits for the community, students and the University.
– The Judges

The Carrus Outstanding Leadership Award went to Alasdair Christie of Sharp Tudhope Lawyers. (see story here)

The Harrison Grierson Young Achiever of the Year Award went to Ryan Ainsworth, a senior project manager in Beca’s project strategy and delivery team. (see story on here).

And the Hawkins Long Service Award went to Denis McMahon, director and founder of Property Managers Group (PMG.)  (see story here).

Property Council Bay of Plenty Bank of New Zealand Supreme Excellence Award – University of Waikato Tauranga Campus

Judges said the supreme winner was a project that truly exceeded the client’s expectations.

Greenstone Group, Rider Levett Bucknall, Jasmax, Beca and Hawkins had delivered an exemplary building, they said.

“Bringing together multiple stakeholders and sources of funding, the team had delivered a beautiful, well-crafted project that has enormous benefits for the community, students and the University.”

The judges cited the project’s long gestination history, complexity of design and stakeholder engagement, leadership to the architectural fraternity in the BOP and architectural leadership that had been given to the city.

“This is an architectural piece that the city can be proud of and this shows the way forward. There was a very significant level of stakeholder engagement and well executed project team.”

Sharp Tudhope Lawyers Urban Design award – University of Waikato Tauranga Campus

In taking home the Urban Design Award, judge’s noted that the campus was the first of its kind in New Zealand. It had come about through two decades of community lobbying and fundraising, bringing to fruition a 8400 sqm state-of-the-art multi-purpose teaching and research facility.

“Showcasing the very best of urban design that connects the community, the $55 millon facility is more than a building, it is a sign of the area’s transformation,” the judges said.

Delivered on time, on budget and to an impeccable standard, the project is a testament to the talented team behind the scenes.
– The Judges

The judges congratulated key stakeholders including The University of Waikato, Te Wananga o Awanuiarangi, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Tauranga City Council, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, TECT and submitters and architects Jasmax

The project  was outstanding for the CBD of Tauranga and for its wider influence, and contributed to the urban city on a multitude of levels, judges said.

“It was an architectural standout from the other submissions – big and bold [with a]cultural element.”

Greenstone Group Best Team Award – University of Waikato Tauranga Campus

With a project team that included the University of Waikato, Greenstone Group, Jasmax, Rider Levett Bucknall, Beca and Hawkins the University of Waikato Tauranga Campus was a symbol of united vision, shared goals and exceptional management. judges said.

The project was  supported by 14 separate areas across the University, local artists, the University’s tikanga advisory group, four separate contractors and more than  55 subcontractors,

“Delivered on time, on budget and to an impeccable standard, the project is a testament to the talented team behind the scenes,” the judges said.

“The amount of stakeholders that had to be pleased was immense and well done. There were as many internal stakeholders as external so [it was a]political process.”

Greenstone Group undertook the project management services for the project. Fox said one of the key challenges was managing the expectations of the more than 60 stakeholder entities, which was identified as a key risk to be considered when scoping the project. Additionally there were clear requirements from regional funders for an iconic building.

Iwi engagement

The University was committed to engagement with iwi and hapu to ensure that they were a key part of the design of the campus.  The team established a Tauranga Moana Iwi Advisory Group who nominated Ngai Tamarāwaho to work with the design team.

The University took the design team to Huia marae as part of the process of understanding the cultural context of the land in the CBD, hapu, iwi history.

This also enabled Jasmax to incorporate key elements into the design of the building and the materials used to create it. Another key risk identified early was the then overheated marketplace, which was overcome by a series of actions throughout the project.

The result is a beautiful, well-crafted campus, that has enormous benefits for the community.
– The Judges

Fox said the awards were a reflection of a team-based collaborative approach on delivering a regionally iconic building.

“Greenstone Group are incredibly proud to have played a key role in delivering the campus,” he said.

“The campus will surely play out an important role for the city and region in the years to come. We are extremely fortunately to be able to have a view of the Campus building from our office and it provides us with a constant reminder of our involvement and achievement with this great project.”