NZI Centre boosts NABERSNZ rating with ‘market leading’ 5.5 stars

The NZI Centre in Auckland has achieved 5.5 stars out of 6 under the NABERSNZ energy rating scheme – a half star improvement on its previous rating. It is the first building in Auckland to attain the ‘market leading’ score.

The prominent five-storey NZI Centre on Fanshawe Street was developed by Newcrest in 2009 and achieved a 5 Green Star rating at the time of construction for fit-out and design, making it one of Auckland’s most sustainably-designed buildings.

The NABERSNZ rating shows the base building has an energy intensity of 49 kilowatt hours (kWh) per square metre, per year – a 17% improvement on its previous energy use.

Jacki Johnson, Chief Executive of tenant IAG said the organisation had a clear intention to improve at the time of its first NABERSNZ rating.

“Being efficient in our energy use is important as it helps to earn trust and respect. By positively impacting on costs it also helps our business model, contributing to more affordable insurance, so it is not just a nice to do but it’s a strategic imperative.

“We were pleased to see 5 stars in the last NABERSNZ rating, but said then we wouldn’t rest on our laurels. This 5.5 star result is independent proof that our partnership with Newcrest to further improve our footprint, has been successful,” Jacki Johnson said.

“Importantly, this work on energy efficiency also helps make the building a very pleasant environment to spend time in – which is great for our people and productivity.”

Developer Newcrest continues to own and manage the NZI Centre. Lincoln Fraser, Newcrest Development Director, will speak on building performance at the upcoming Green Property Summit in Auckland on 26 March.

NABERSNZ is the national energy rating scheme for office buildings. It is licenced to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and administered by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC).

EECA Chief Executive Mike Underhill said the aim of NABERSNZ was to spur companies to improve energy efficiency.

“This scheme isn’t simply about getting a good rating, it’s about starting the journey of improvement.  IAG is an excellent case study in how they have worked closely with the building owner and manager to tackle energy use. I hope their approach will inspire other corporate tenants.”

NZGBC Chief Executive Alex Cutler said while smart design created a blueprint for efficient buildings, how they’re commissioned, maintained and used is crucial to day-to-day performance.

“The NZI Centre has many sustainability features, so it has a head-start. But it also has a very active building management team who work constantly to ensure the site is comfortable and running efficiently. It’s a great role model for other buildings.”

The NZI Centre’s sustainability features include a distinctive double skin facade along most of its perimeter, with automatically controlled blinds to moderate glare and sunlight. It also has exposed concrete ceilings to help moderate temperature.

The NABERSNZ rating was carried out by Patrick Arnold of eCubed.

The Green Property Summit programme can be viewed at www.greenpropertysummit.org.nz