Ngāi Tahu Property backs up Te Urutī green credentials with highest possible NABERSNZ rating
Te Urutī in central Christchurch is now one of only three buildings across Aotearoa New Zealand to hold an aspirational 6 Star NABERSNZ rating.
It is the first building in Te Waipounamu South Island to receive NABERSNZ's highest certification, setting the bar for others to follow.
Te Urutī is part of the Pita Te Hori Centre located in the Christchurch central business district. It is in the West End between Cashel St, Hereford St, Montreal St and Cambridge Terrace
The superb energy performance backs up the sustainable approach taken in the building's design and construction, with the office holding a 5 Green Star Office Built rating.
Overview
Achievements |
|
| Base building NABERSNZ rating | 6 stars (March 2023) |
| Green Star Office Built rating | 5 stars (March 2020) |
Building profile |
|
| Te Urutī (Building 2) | 48 Hereford Street, Christchurch |
| Bulding Owner | Ngāi Tahu Property |
Key Stats |
|
| Rated hours per week | 59 |
| Total floor area (m2) | 6673 |
| Indicative GHG emissions (kg CO2-e/year) | 32,771 |
| Total energy use (kWh/year) | 247.089 |
| Energy intensity (kWh/m2/year) | 37.0 |
| GHG intensity (kg CO2-e/m2/year) | 4.9 |
Key sustainable features
- Enhanced Commissioning and Environmental Management practices adopted, including ongoing building tuning
- Fresh air rates of 20 L/s/work setting with variable fresh air volume mechanical ventilation (higher than required for NZBC)
- Thermal comfort assessment
- 48kW grid-tied soalr PV system
- Building façade optimised for thermal and daylighting performance
- Efficient lighting with good daylighting, high efficiency LED fittings, daylight control and occupancy sensing
- High efficiency HVAC systems
- Electrical sub-metering/energy monitoring provided throughout
- Innovative District Energy System which supplies multiple buildings with ground source artesian cooling and heating.
Why NABERSNZ
NABERSNZ benchmarks an office’s energy efficiency. There are 3 kinds of ratings - base building, tenancy and whole building. Ratings are prepared by NABERSNZ Accredited Assessors and considers the annua l energy use and other variables. Ratings are valid for a year – many are rating annually to monitor energy efficiency and make improvements.
Ngāi Tahu Property General Manager Blair Forgie says the rating reflects the commitment of Ngāi Tahu Property to climate change action through energy efficiency and lowering energy-related emissions.
"Our investment and commitment aligns with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Group’s Te Kounga Paparangi climate action plan and the Ngāi Tahu values.
From a business point of view, less energy use means a lower power bill. It is in everyone’s best interest to invest in ensuring energy efficiency."
– Blair Forgie, General Manager, Ngāi Tahu Property
NABERSNZ Assessor Chris Mills says Powell Fenwick were the building's services consultants during the building's construction when sustainability was embedded right from the outset.
"Ngāi Tahu Property have been excellent clients right from the start, open and willing to do what's necessary to get great results and really lead in this space."
While the building has had 5.5 star NABERSNZ ratings for the last few years, ongoing tweaking and tuning has led to a rare and exemplary 6 star rating.
"With performance a focus right from the design and construction of the building, achieving high levels of performance has been relatively straightforward.
There's an energy centre operating on site with highly efficient ground source reverse-cycle heat pumps, and the building's envelope and heat recovery ventilation systems help reduce the need for heating in order to keep the building at a comfortable temperature year-round. There is also a 48kW solar PV array on the roof which directly offsets the base building energy consumption before exporting the excess to the grid"
– Chris Mills, NABERSNZ Assessor, Powell Fenwick