New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 33/03C | Page 69

“Ultimately, we provided EMA with a fixed price
for the entire project, from site layout, to adaptive
reuse, to the new buildings – meaning we took all
the risk and they just waited for us to deliver.”
One important client request was that EMA staff
stay on site while the new architectural game plan
unfolded. Location Group worked closely with Avery
Team Architects to devise a project plan that would
accommodate this.
Architect principal Kerry Avery says the complex
programme was completed in defined stages.
“This comprised the demolition of seven build-
ings, including EMA’s original low seismic rated
1963 office, the creative reworking of a 1920s
industrial building on site, a partial refurbishment
of their existing offices, and a new four-level head
office, seminar centre and cafe.”
The run order was to first build a carpark building
to free up the warehouse for redevelopment and
then rework the latter as open-plan lecture spaces