Two-in-one Auckland CBD hotel development Voco-HIE has been awarded the Supreme Award at the 2023 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards (NZCPA).
Voco-HIE (Holiday Inn Express) was constructed by Icon NZ, which also took out the Built Tourism & Leisure Category and Commercial Project Over $25 million Value Award.
Owned and operated by Registered Master Builders, the prestigious NZCPA sets the benchmark for commercial construction in New Zealand, and celebrates collaboration and innovation across the building industry.
Icon NZ was tasked with the challenge of constructing two independently operated hotels which are “stacked” one above the other in a tower format.
Voco operates 201 4.5-star hotel rooms while HIE has 294 3.5-star hotel rooms. The building features a joint top floor bar and sky deck.
The highly complex structure was designed to accommodate the differing hotel dimensional configurations, with key plant and equipment infrastructure shared throughout.
The judges said the extraordinary building is a great addition to Auckland’s CBD, and is a strong contender for the most elegant high-rise in the city.
“It has achieved this status by skilfully exploiting its unique brief of accommodating two completely different hotels, one atop the other, on a constrained inner-city site.
“The impressive hotel development featured extensive planning and skilful design. With a single loading bay, located on a steep street and in a live traffic environment with pedestrians close by, a carefully sequenced “just-in-time” approach was employed.
Prefabricated bathroom pods were used to help with cost and time efficiencies.
“The articulation and materiality of the exterior design was also critical to the build’s success. It is comprised of a mix of in-situ concrete, non-load bearing pre-cast elements, and high-performance articulated curtain wall systems.”
In this year’s competition, the judges awarded three outstanding projects with a Special Award. One of these was the South East Asia Precinct at Auckland Zoo by NZ Strong Group, which was recognised for going above and beyond in creating an innovative and immersive experience for visitors, and the best possible habitat for its wildlife.
The second was the Karamea Area School project by Brosnan, for its incredible community involvement and collaboration.
Finally, the Cambridge Police Hub project by Alaska Construction Interiors was recognised for its innovative design reflecting the local environment.
Registered Master Builders chief executive David Kelly says the NZCPA celebrate the very best in commercial construction teams and the projects they deliver.
“These awards recognise the quality and skill that goes into producing the buildings where Kiwis live their lives.
They also shed a light on the extensive collaboration between the entire project team, including building owners, designers, architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, and the contractors themselves. We congratulate all of this year’s 15 award winners.
“We also want to recognise many of this year’s entrants who worked with their project teams to overcome and adapt to sector challenges.
“We know that the commercial construction sector is still facing ongoing pressures with the rise of inflation, material availability, and supply of skilled labour, and we commend the sector’s resilience.”
The NZCPA are made possible thanks to the support of Altus Windows System, CARTERS, SpecAdvisor, GIB, PlaceMakers, Resene, and Built.
For more information on the competition, and to view the full results and projects, visit commercialprojectawards.co.nz.
