Britomart Audit

ACC won praise from Audit New Zealand who reviewed the management processes of the new Britomart project. The report outlined that they were particularly impressed with the extent of public consultation and market research, the openness of a public design competition and the cost-benefit report on Britomart, which was described as ground-breaking work.

Britomart Underground Railway Station Contract

A news release was issued by ACC 6pm, 9 August 2001 unanimously approving a $199.8 million scheme to build the Britomart transport hub in downtown Auckland.

On the 8 October 2001 the Council approved the recommendation to let Stage One of the Britomart development contract for the underground railway station to Downer Construction New Zealand Limited. The Council budgeted $98 million for this stage of the work, and the Downer Construction tender plus provisional sums for some additional works brought the total estimate cost to council to $96.6 million.

Audit New Zealand gave an assurance that “key stages confirmed to good practice and the process was carried out in such a way as to minimise the risk of failure due to poor project management.” An independent peer review also fully endorsed the project.

The Ngati Whatua o Orakie blessed the Britomart site before construction progressed.

The closure of Britomart Place and Commerce Street signalled the start of construction, as hoardings were erected around the site between Britomart Place, Tyler Street, Galway Street, up to the back of the Chief Post Office.

Before, during and after, view from the roof of the Chief Post Office building

View from Britomart Place to the back of the CPO, excavation.

View from the ground level of the station towards the back of the CPO, showing transverse beams

Skylight cast on ground floor of the station box to be lifted into the ceiling

The contract to build New Zealand’s first underground railway station included:

Gore Street Jetty unearthed, Cr. Greg McKeown (left) and Barry Baquie (right)

The current capacity of the station is 17,000 passengers per hour and with upgraded trains the capacity is 25,000 passengers per hour. With new tracks and signals on the existing rail network, the capacity of the station is 34,000 passengers per hour. Any passenger movements over this figure would require the stairs to be replaced with escalators. If rail was to continue beyond Britomart and it was operated as a flow through station with the capacity of 50,000 passengers per hour.

As excavation continued on the Britomart site, part of the 1865 Gore St jetty was unearthed. Reported to have been built by Messrs Amos and Co. at the contract price of £3,318 18s 11.5d. On site Archaeologist Barry Baquie said that as the excavation had reached Gore Street, it was obvious that the structure was the Gore Street jetty, which he knew about from historical records.

Large hardwood beams that held up the 1885 Queen Street Railway Station were discovered, as well as sleepers from the original track.

Change of Council

A new Council was elected in October 2001 and the Hon. John Banks QSO was elected as Mayor.

Chief Post Office Contract

ACC came to an agreement with the Historic Places Trust subject to the conservation order. The agreement focused on the main front entrance and the central banking chamber, preserving and identifying these historic character areas. The agreement also detailed the installation of lifts, escalators, the lowering of most of the floor and outer entrance arches to take electric passenger vehicles.

ACC signed a contract with Downer Construction Ltd on the 29 April 2002 for $22.6million to restore and refurbish the former CPO.

Chief Post Office before and during construction

Mayor John Banks said “This is a stand-alone building that is worthy of ratepayers’ funding for the restoration to make sure that it serves this city as well for the next 100 years as it has for the past century. . . It’s one of the great days of the Auckland mayoralty – I’m absolutely delighted that we’re going to restore this great building. I’m going to take all the responsibility for the work being done and the end result we are going to achieve.” Mr Banks said he inherited the Britomart project and his responsibility was to see it completed “on time and within budget.”

The Former CPO is the hub of the transport centre, sometimes referred to as the jewel in the crown of the Britomart project. The ground floor is the main access way to the underground Britomart railway station with kiosks providing information and ticketing for the public. A major part of the contract was to restore and upgrade the historic and heritage elements of the former CPO. Parts of the ground floor were lowered to give easier access from QE and the surrounding streets. The front steps of the building were retained, preserving the heritage tiles in the foyer leading to a central podium area underneath the magnificent stained glass domes. Upper floors were prepared for future commercial activities with access by lifts and stairs. The ornamental light fixtures that had been in storage were reinstated on the front of the former CPO.

Chief Post Office restoration works completed, streetscape improvements continue

The Britomart Underground Concourse was incorporated into the CPO contract. Due to the funding short fall, the underground concourse connecting the ferry building to Queen Street, incorporated in the design competition, had been cut from the project. ACC sought a proposal from developers to build a retail concourse to achieve the desired outcome. Westfield ( New Zealand) Ltd was given exclusive right to investigate the construction of a retail concourse under QE. Westfield was unable to progress with their scheme and the Council decided to proceed independently. The construction of the Britomart underground concourse was approved on the 24 July 2002, running beneath QE from the CPO to the western side of the Square. The concourse provides an all-weather shelter for commuters leaving the Britomart Station for downtown destinations. Commuters enter the concourse via stairs, lifts and escalators from the Britomart Station, and from QE. A circular skylight near street level outside the CPO allows natural light into the concourse, and is supplemented by 14 light boxes, and white mosaic wall tiles to brighten the subterranean concourse.

Construction of concourse under Queen Elizabeth Square, photo by Joseph Cameron

The contract to restore and refurbish one of Auckland’s most historically significant buildings included:

• Major façade restoration, reinstating missing and damaged cornices/features
• Steel plate bases to existing columns ‘wrapped’ in glass cases and put on exhibit, revealing the CPO as a steel framed building
• A three-story glass house at the back of the CPO
• Structural upgrade

• Lowering of the existing ground floor and central banking chamber area raised
• Creating new entrances with ground level access
• The underground concourse incorporating a central banking chamber sky light
• Public toilets
• A glass canopy on the roof
• The facade of the CPO illuminated at night to enhance the urban theatre of Queen Elizabeth Square

Roof is lifted on the three-story glasshouse

When asbestos was discovered in concrete between the building’s floor and ceiling, the whole building was immediately sealed to stop any contaminated material escaping into the atmosphere. The project’s contractor Downer Construction notified council of the find immediately and worked with council staff to guarantee both the safety of its workers and the public. The project budget had allowed a contingency for this sort of event and project leader Grant Kirby said, “I can give assurance that Britomart will still be completed on time and within budget.”

Streetscapes Contract

On the 24 October 2002 ACC awarded the Streetscapes contract to Downer Construction for $18.1 million. This was the last construction contract to be awarded to complete the Britomart project.

Works included the provision of underground services, such as drainage, water supplies, excavation of up to 6 meters deep, and roadways. The contract also included a number of new public spaces and improved streetscapes, using a combination of trees, clay paving slabs and sculptures, to revitalise the area and make links with the CBD and waterfront.

Narrow walkway around Queen Elizabeth Square, outside number one Queen Street

There was disruption to the daily lives of the public, residents and occupiers of the adjacent properties during this construction contract. In anticipation of this, the contract included the appointment of a project co-ordinator and liaison officer, who worked with the parties affected. A traffic management plan was established and prior to any physical works, neighbours affected were informed. Community updates and information meetings were held in the Britomart Transport Display Centre.

During the construction phase public access to QE was restricted to a narrow walkway around the western side.

Works included:

• Underground services
• Roadways and footpaths
• Major paving works using feature paving together with kerbs, drainage and external lighting
• Canopies for the bus interchange
• New public spaces

Canopy, services, footpaths and road construction in Queen Elizabeth Square

The wind tree sculpture in QE was removed after liaison with the artist, the Artists’ Alliance, the arts community and other interested parties. An Auckland City conservation plan detailed exactly how the sculpture was to be dismantled removed and stored. A registered conservator oversaw the removal, in line with the council’s public art policy.

Wind Tree Sculpture carefully removed, 15 August 2002

The statue of the Maori Warrior was carefully removed and returned to a new location on the square once works were completed.

Britomart Construction Site Visit

Britomart site visit, inside the station

A public site visit was organised by Auckland City and Downer Construction Ltd on the 20 October 2002. The construction site visit was a walk through the underground tunnel, the Britomart Station and a climb upstairs to exit the site behind the old CPO. The site visit was the “only chance to go off the rails”, and to control numbers for public safety, free passes were issued with times staggered throughout the day. “A wopping 14,000 visitors took the Britomart project by storm on an open day last Sunday, 20 October. The 61 volunteer guides say the overwhelming response was that people couldn’t believe how big the construction area was.” Hordes fill up Britomart hole, City Scene, 27/10/2002.

Britomart Above Ground Development

Auckland City called for proposals to develop some of the most valuable real estate in the country, as part of the Britomart project’s revitalisation of the downtown area. The Council approved a two-stage process to see interested parties submit proposals for 17 of the old buildings in the Britomart precinct and the large development site. The first stage began on 1 November 2002 and parties submitted their proposals to council on the 18 December 2002.

“The council plans will allow development of a mix of office, residential and retail properties on the site and would add another 84,217sq m of lettable space straddling the waterfront and CBD.” Britomart boosts Auckland’s CBD, Sunday Star Times, 7 July 2002

Council clearly stipulated that the Britomart project was a key regional transport project, restoring heritage buildings, creating a character precinct, revitalising an unsafe derelict waterfront precinct and build on the success of the Viaduct Harbour.

The vision for the Britomart precinct is an urban village, with heritage and character, a destination people place, having active street edges and a mixture of uses.

The Britomart portfolio offered titles on a block by block basis, and not building by building. The ACC retained ownership of the CPO, Glasshouse, Station Plaza, Te Ara TaHuhu walking street, Taku Tai Square, Transport Pavilion and Britomart Place. The Council offered 5 internal blocks on a leasehold term for 50 years and 5 external blocks on either a freehold or leasehold basis.

Artists impression, Te Ara TaHuhu walking street (station roof) and new development

The new development sites above the Britomart underground railway station were restricted to 8 levels and 12 levels at the Britomart place end of the site.

The height restriction design guidelines were to create pedestrian-scale streets and public spaces, which were incorporated from the public consultation process and design competition. The foundations of the new development are set on the foundations of the Train Station, which can only support 8 levels of lightweight development. The new urban design guidelines establish the old buildings as prominent features of the precinct.

The development proposals submitted to Council had to meet the City’s objectives:

• To provide a transport interchange
• The creation of a low-rise heritage precinct where the city meets the sea
• The creating of an environment, which contains a rich mix of activities and ensures the precinct is vibrant 24-hours a day
• An upgrade and revitalisation of the area which ensures a people-dominated and safe environment
• A desire to reinforce and reinvigorate retailing in the Downtown area.

The evaluation criteria to pass Stage One was:

• The ability to meet Council objectives (listed above)
• The suitability and quality of the new development (incorporates new and old buildings)
• Acceptability of the programmed development (timeframe)
• The financial capacity of the proponent
• The price for the freehold and leasehold lots
• Any other factor deemed relevant by the Council

The City’s contribution to the above ground development was taking a cut in book value, to enable developers to work within the new urban design guidelines. The ACC developed a road show presentation for the multimillion dollar Above Ground Development, which was presented to more then 16 groups. Council sent out over 150 proposals to parties interested in the above ground development.

On the 2 March 2003 Auckland City made a shortlist from the 14 bids received in Stage One to four proponents. The four proponents proceeded to Stage Two of the request for proposals for the development of the Britomart precinct.

The developers were:

• Melview Developments Limited
• Trans Tasman Properties Limited
• Bluewater Holdings Limited
• Phillimore Properties Limited.

As this book went to publication a developer had yet to be chosen. The restoration of old buildings and new development were expected to take 5-10 years.

Auckland City Media Release, 29 April 2002, p.1-2

Auckland City Media Release, 29 May 2002