Green giant HQ for Telecom

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CAPITAL PLAN: An artist's impression of Willis Central - 12 levels of office buildings and retail outlets spreading from Willis St to Boulcott St and opposite the recently opened Chews Lane precinct.

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Wellington

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A $100 million "green" building to house Telecom is being billed as the "most significant" of its kind for central Wellington.

The telecommunications giant has been named as the anchor tenant for what will be known as Willis Central - 12 levels of office buildings and retail outlets spreading from Willis St to Boulcott St. The site is opposite the recently opened Chews Lane precinct.

Apartments in Boulcott St, perched on pillars above a car park, would be moved. They are owned by the developer, Ian Cassels' the Wellington Company.

Buildings in Boulcott and Willis streets would be linked by a central glass atrium, creating a campus-style development. It will cover 19,000 of the available 26,000 square metres.

About 1700 Telecom staff, now spread over six leased properties around central Wellington, would be housed in the development, which has been leased for 12 years from mid-2011.

It will be a five-green-star- rated building, meaning it will use the latest in environmental design, including energy-efficient lighting, solar panels and possibly wind turbines.

Mr Cassels, who redeveloped the former Mid City movie theatre complex into New Zealand's first five-green- star-rated building, now home to the Conservation Department, said his latest project could eclipse it in significance.

It could also help allay growing economic uncertainty in the business sector.

"In the middle of a year that's pretty uninspiring in terms of woes and troubles, it's really quite a major step for Wellington," he said.

Wellington City Council had yet to receive a resource consent application but the project was within the 95- metre height limit. Construction is set to start this year.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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DeepRed   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

This is the kind of development that will set standards rather than follow them. Let's keep up the good work.

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