Guardian Trust

Design

At the Architects first meeting it became apparent the client was passionate about architecture and sculptural forms and it was from this passion that the design of the building grew.  The Architects brief was to design a building that could offer a commercial tenant what is expected in terms of function and spatial planning but to offer more than expected in terms of from, materials and street presence.

The exterior claddings have been carefully selected and comprise of natural copper, ebonized cedar, stack bond concrete block and aluminium.  The mix of materials and the defined forms have created a building that is striking and sculptural.

The interior spaces are cleanly detailed, not fussy.  Lighting is subtle yet strategic, washing various surfaces as well as delineating space.

This project is essentially a revitalisation of an existing commercial building and this in turn presented a series of challenges. The existing Gladstone Hotel building on this site was damaged by fire and subsequently demolished, whereas the adjoining Bar and TAB portion of the building was retained and incorporated into this new development.  the retained building formed the basis for the two level aluminium section of the building whilst the free form copper section of the building was built in the place of the existing hotel.

Construction

The unique design of this building presented a number of construction challenges.  Tying the old building in with the new required some compromise and skill on the part of our tradesmen and the architect.  The next major challenge was the set-out and erection of the structural steel frame for the three storey section of the building.  The outer structure of the building was supported by seven main structural steel columns that raked out from the base in a semi-circle to form the outer shape of the building.  This was framed, lined and clad in copper.  The unusual shape of the building combined with the range of different building materials used posed a number of challenges for our tradesmen, particularly those involved in fixing the external copper cladding.  This required detailed panning, accurate measurement, and precise setting out and fixing.

As for all central city construction sites, the establishment and working area available to the contractor was extremely tight, necessitating the development of safe work systems and construction methods.  Good planning and close co-ordination of all on-site activities was an essential part of the exercise.  Public safety was a major consideration due to the close proximity of the building to the very busy Durham Street road frontage.  There were no major safety incidents on this project and a high standard of safety was maintained throughout.

Contract Management

The Project Management team included a Construction Manager, Quantity Surveyor and on-site Construction Foreman, each having a key role in the successful delivery of this project.  The tight time frame called for close liaison with the Client and Architect.  The Client was particularly interested in the progress of this project making many visits to site to see how things were going.  Right from the start the Client made it well known that there was no room to move on the completion date as it was critically important that their key tenant (Guardian Trust) be given early access to the building.  Our Site Foreman was able to achieve this be carefully planning all on-site construction activities, and maintaining a close working relationship with the Architect and Engineer.

The contract scope included the office fit-out of the ground floor, plus levels one and two of the main three storey section of the building.  Access to level one was required one month ahead of the contract completion date.  This involved completing a number of key trades such as electrical, air-conditioning, fire protection etc ahead of schedule to enable 'Public Occupation' of the building.  It was credit to the project team that they were able to achieve this milestone which also required close liaison and communication with the Christchurch City Council building inspectors.  All of this was happening while the balance of the building was being completed making it necessary for our construction team to work in closely with the tenant on a day to day basis.  A good working relationship between all parties was maintained throughout.

The project commenced in mid July 2005 and was completed on 21 June 2006.

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