What does it take to create a facility that meets your relocation and storage needs – that’s sustainable, seismically sound, and allows flexibility now and for the future? A whole team of experts working together to take an initial concept and make it a reality!
Building a new facility of this size takes a lot of thought, planning, preparation, coordination and teamwork with the right people – right from the beginning through to completion and settling in. That’s why our team at Crown Worldwide Group NZ chose to partner with Ashton Mitchell Architects, Q Construction, and Dunning Thornton Structural Engineers. As a dedicated problem-solving team, they’re instrumental in turning our vision to meet our customers’ needs into a sustainable, future-proof building.
Ashton Mitchell Architects – Designing for the Long Term
When you’re choosing where to store your valuable items, the building’s design directly affects how well we can serve you. Having already designed several Crown facilities across New Zealand, Ashton Mitchell understands what customers need from a modern storage and logistics facility.
“It’s great to continue this relationship with the new Porirua project and we appreciate the trust Crown has shown in us,” says the Ashton Mitchell team.
Turning challenges into advantages
This Porirua site has a 13-meter slope across it – a significant design challenge. But Ashton Mitchell turned this challenge into customer benefits. “Initially, we were focussed on the most efficient warehouse volumes we could achieve on the site,” explains Warren Payne, one of the directors at Ashton Mitchell.
This meant careful planning to ensure large trucks can access the warehouse efficiently, along with positioning loading areas so they’re sheltered from Wellington’s prevailing winds – critical considerations for this storage facility.
The shape of the site and need for large vehicle access also influenced the office design. Rather than a standard rectangular shape, Ashton Mitchell architects “saw an opportunity for the office to address the corner [of the site] and to have it set so that it could steal glimpses of the harbour.” Warren notes “it’s not often that industrial projects are in areas with views to the sea.” This view will be enjoyed by both customers and staff in both levels of the office.
Design decisions that just make sense
As this building is targeting a Green Star rating, Ashton Mitchell incorporated features you might not immediately notice, but you and your stored valuables will definitely benefit from:
- low-toxicity materials that improve air quality
- natural light with reduced glare
- enhanced ventilation and environmental controls
“These features may not seem different to the ‘standard’ office space but improve the wellbeing of people who work there,” the architects explain. You’ll also notice a difference when onsite discussing your logistics needs with our teams.
A design connected to Porirua
The triangular pattern on the building’s exterior references the two arms of Te Awarua-o-Porirua (Porirua Harbour). When the architects researched the area, they discovered that Pāuatahanui may mean “a large calabash for storing paua” – a traditional storage vessel.
“We liked the link between this and that this site would be used as a storage warehouse for valuable items,” Warren notes, “This provides an identity to the building that is unique to this location.”
When Ashton Mitchell describes what success looks like, they keep it focused on function: “That the building improves commercial efficiencies for Crown’s operations and that the staff find it a comfortable and enjoyable space to work.” This means better service for you overall.
From the climate controls to the protected loading areas, every design decision is made to give you a facility that properly cares for what you are storing.
Q Construction: Building to Purpose
When you’re looking for a storage facility, the technical details might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but they’re vital. The difference between a warehouse that just stores your items and one that genuinely protects them is in the expertise behind the construction.
Q Construction is the team bringing this project to life, and they understand the challenges. “There are two warehouses on this site,” explains Shane Wright, Project Manager. “The larger one has large underground water tanks to feed the fire safety system – this is a unique and interesting part of the build. The smaller warehouse comes with a state-of-the-art temperature and humidity control system which adds to the complexity of the build.”
Solving the challenges
Building complexities aren’t the only ones needing to be solved. One of the realities of building in Porirua is maximizing limited industrial land. “The buildings use every available space on this site which, despite being a big site, means there is limited room to move for the contractors involved,” notes Shane. This constraint means careful planning around vehicle movements and deliveries.
The ground quality onsite was also challenging. “A lot of coordination between Geotech Engineers, Civil engineers and contractors has paved the way for well founded buildings.” For customers, this means a building with solid foundations, designed to handle Wellington’s earthquake realities.
Quality you can’t always see
Some of the most important features are ones you won’t immediately notice. Quality Assurance checks take place at each crucial stage, signed off by the relevant consultants. Then there’s the solar panel system being installed on the Crown warehouse. This is a significant addition that feeds back into the grid, lowering operational costs and reducing environmental impact. For businesses who care about both their bottom line and their carbon footprint, these details are important.
Building to Green Star standards isn’t just a certification to check off – it fundamentally changes how construction happens. “Materials used to build the buildings need to be carefully selected. Careful management of waste removal is also needed to ensure environmental impact is minimal,” explains Shane.
This means you’re getting a building where environmental performance has been a core requirement from day one.
When describing success, for Shane it’s straightforward: “New buildings which make an impressive impact on the landscape and function well for their purpose.” For businesses searching for reliable storage, this excellence in functionality is exactly what you need.
Crown Worldwide NZ: Listening to our Customers
Why build a new facility when you could lease a larger space? For Crown Worldwide NZ, the answer came directly from customer feedback.
“The various customers of our Crown brands will benefit from a facility that is purpose built for their needs,” says Leon Hulme, Managing Director NZ. When your current building can’t provide the seismic protection, climate control, or space you need, purpose-built solutions make the difference.
This facility wasn’t designed just to solve today’s storage problems. “It’s a building that is future focused, and provides flexibility to change to customers’ evolving needs,” explains Leon. This adaptability matters in an environment where business requirements are constantly changing.
Collaboration That Makes a Difference
Getting the details right required close collaboration between Crown, architects Ashton Mitchell, and Q Construction. “It’s been a collaborative project, and this has been vital in achieving the best outcomes,” notes Leon, especially “around the IL3 [Building standard], sustainability, and climate and humidity control elements of the design”.
For our customers, this means a facility where the storage systems, environmental controls, and an extra-high level of structural integrity all work together seamlessly.
What Sets This Facility Apart
When businesses compare storage options, the differences might not be immediately obvious. But as Leon points out, “The difference here is the positive impact on the local community and the building’s unique specifications tailor made to customer needs. It would be difficult for someone to make an apples to apples comparison.”
The IL3 Building standard, sustainability focus and making a positive impact for the community represent choices driven by customer requirements. For customers and businesses whose items need more than basic warehousing, those specifications become essential.
Crown’s sustainability decisions went beyond ticking Green Star boxes. Decisions genuinely important to the team included “those that support efficiency on running the building and reducing its dependencies on resources. Also, those that positively affect the wellbeing of our staff, acoustics, temperature, social spaces,” explains Leon. These choices benefit both the people working in the facility and the customers whose items are stored there.
A Long-Term Commitment
Looking ahead 10-20 years, Leon sees the facility continuing to serve both customers and the local community. The project has reinforced Crown’s belief that “buildings should be adaptable to future customer and colleagues’ needs”, including adding local cultural and landscape elements into the design to show respect for Porirua’s history.
What’s Next
Curious about how a new storage facility impacts the wider Wellington business community?
In our next update, we’ll share how this project is creating opportunities and benefits for the Porirua community, local business and wider Wellington area. Join us next time as we continue documenting this journey.
