Hotel Britomart Achieves PC

Officially opening its doors on 1 October 2020, the highly anticipated opening of The Hotel Britomart in Auckland will bring 99 guest rooms, 5 luxurious suites and an intimate laneway food and beverage offering that hugs the building’s ground floor and links it to the surrounding plant lined streets.

The TSA team worked hard through all COVID-19 restriction levels, progressing design and construction queries and advancing procurement and construction methodologies, to ensure the site was back full swing and able to achieve the recently awarded Practical Completion.

Delivery of this unique hotel project designed by Cheshire Architects for Cooper and Company also included the refurbishment of the existing Masonic Bucklands building to office space, co-located on the same site as the hotel in Auckland’s CBD.

Our team responded to a number of interesting project inclusions, the most prominent the exterior of the building; the first of its kind in New Zealand. The façade is made up of a form liner system of cast brick into precast panels and flush glazed windows.  This brought complexity to the design stages because of the need to construct full-scale prototype façade panels that were then subjected to simulated earthquake forces through to destruction to ensure they complied with the NZ building codes.  During the construction phase, further brick strengthening and rigorous water testing was undertaken to ensure weather tightness across this bespoke façade.  The result, creating a solid mass that seems to float on a base made of glass.

The hotel is also the first hotel to be 5 Green Star accredited in New Zealand, certified by the New Zealand Green Building Council. TSA ensured sustainability was considered at each design stage and was imbedded in decision making during construction and procurement. From the selection of bedding and pillows, through to air-conditioning systems and materials, and during construction working with the designers and contractors environmentally friendly options, building materials and construction methodologies were used to minimise waste to landfill.

TSA’s Gerard Krishnan, Sarah Moore and Gemma Wilson are proud to have been involved in the design and delivery of this innovative and memorable project, that brings a strong connection to its 150-year old neighbours and a profound sense of place.