Aorangi House

Constructed in 1970, the twelve-storey Aorangi House building, situated on the edge of Wellington’s CBD, was completely refurbished in 2008, utilising the latest green building principles to give the building a new lease of life for tenants Beca.

Externally, a crisp new double glazed curtain wall system in black powder-coated aluminium, with striking red glass panels, gives the building a contemporary and vivid aesthetic. An innovative plaster system significantly improves its thermal performance. Sunshading louvres cover the building on three sides, providing extensive shading from the summer heat while still allowing the maximum amount of daylight into the building as well as panoramic views of the sea, city, and hillside.

Internally, the office floors were stripped back to bare concrete to maximise the ceiling height available and avoid the monotony of uniform suspended ceilings. The thermal mass of the exposed concrete also creates a more constant temperature throughout without the need for air conditioning. The building continues to utilise mainly natural ventilation across the open plan floor space. A restrained palette of black, white and minimal accent colours extends the bold coloured grid of the building’s exterior through into its interior.

Transformed by its new design into a contemporary, graphic feature building, Aorangi House demonstrates the way forward in renovating Wellington’s aging buildings through careful consideration of sustainable building issues and intelligent design interventions.

Designed for the Environment

When Aorangi House was refurbished it utilised the latest green building principles. This has resulted in the building achieving 5 stars in both Green Star and NABERSNZ.

Sustainability features include:

• A cutting-edge plaster system with 100mm of external insulation, greatly improving thermal performance.
• Louvres installed on three sides of the building provide shading from the summer sun.
• Maximises daylight penetration while offering panoramic views, for reduced lighting energy consumption and connection to nature.
• Double glazed curtain wall system to improve insulation.
• Exposed concrete for thermal mass.
• The majority of the building is naturally ventilated, improving indoor environment quality.