Sustainability is embedded in our DNA here at T+T – not just in the work we do, but also where we work – and we have exciting news to share!
Our new Auckland office fitout has been awarded a 6 Green Star – Interiors NZ Built Rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC)!
The rating represents ‘world leadership’ for sustainable office fitouts and exemplifies T+T’s Group’s commitment to its purpose ‘Together we create and sustain a better world’.
The Fanshawe Street office was assessed on management, indoor environment quality, energy, water, materials, emissions, acoustics, and innovation.
Sandra O’Brien-Kelly, Principal Environmental Scientist, says the rating is a fantastic achievement.
“The certification recognises some of the great things that we’ve done in our Auckland office such as reusing the furniture, engaging with our people, great amenity spaces like the kitchen and the roof space, and using ECNZ licensed paints. It also recognises the negotiations we did with our landlords on the solar panels and EV charging points,” she says.
The process pushed the team to look at other ways to deliver even better levels of sustainability, such as improving lighting and acoustics, sustainable procurement, increasing planting and recycling construction waste.
“It was great to be able to able to work with our in-house experts on this. We collaborated with our waste management, acoustics, health and safety, ecology and sustainable procurement people to enhance the sustainable attributes of the office space,” Sandra says.
The Unispace team played an integral role in ensuring the interior design and construction processes adhered to the requirements set out by the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Unispace Senior Designer, Antony Walton, says “We were able to maximise our sustainability impact using environmentally friendly, low VOC materials, reuse of existing furniture, and installing efficient WELS rated appliances. In addition to this, we applied rigorous waste management practices during construction, ensuring all timber, plastic, cardboard and recyclables were disposed of correctly.”
“Unispace were delighted to partner with the Tonkin + Taylor team and consultants on the design and construction of their Auckland office. It is an incredible achievement to deliver a 6 Star Interiors rating and one that we are extremely proud to be a part of,” Harry Rowntree, Managing Director, Unispace New Zealand, added.
Patrick Stone, Senior Mechanical and Sustainability Engineer at TM Consultants, was the acting Green Star Accredited Professional (GSAP) for the project. As GSAP he was responsible for liaising between Unispace and NZGBC and collating the evidence from the team for submission. He was equally chuffed with the outcome.
“Going for a Green Star Interiors rating shows a clear commitment to sustainability and occupant comfort with a holistic review of the office fitout required across the tool categories,” Patrick says. “It is a credit to T+T and to Unispace that their office was able to achieve a 6 Star Interiors rating, this is a very exciting and a notable achievement that I’m proud to have played a part in. Achieving a 6 Star rating is no mean feat and requires considerable effort under all the categories not only implementing the various criteria but also collecting all the evidence required. It has been a great project to work on and I hope that T+T leading the charge with investing in such a high-quality office inspires and challenges other institutions to go for a rating for their buildings.”
Chief Executive of the NZGBC, Andrew Eagles, is impressed with the quality of the fitout and the team’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
“The approach T+T has taken is fantastic – not only does it mean their fitout has reduced its carbon emissions and impact on the environment, but they’ve also created a fantastic, healthy place for their staff,” shares Andrew.
“Fitouts and retrofits happen relatively often, sometimes as frequently as every 5-8 years. We need more companies taking the opportunity to reduce carbon and waste to landfill, and putting in the mahi to create efficient, sustainable spaces. T+T are helping put a line in the sand for the rest of us.”
