Redeveloping brownfield properties can be fraught with potential headaches, ranging from site contamination to difficult ground conditions. In the case of this Mt Wellington project, which involved demolishing eight existing buildings at an established industrial site on Bowden Rd neighbouring the Tamaki River and constructing two large new warehouses, almost every identified risk came to pass. Combined with an extremely wet Auckland winter, it meant Haydn & Rollett had to be especially nimble and organised to meet the programme deadline.

The build platform for this first of the warehouses – at 7,800 square metres plus a 700 square metre two-storey office it is the smaller of the pair – was complicated by soft ground spots, some rock and the presence of both in-ground and onground asbestos. It is also a tight site with a shared right-of-way, which required the team to liaise closely with the neighbours to ensure access and good relations.

Integrated into the base build was the installation of a 2,000 square metre freezer. The idea was to create a seamless transition from warehouse floor to freezer floor, but it certainly didn’t come easy.