Vero Centre, Auckland

Located in the heart of Auckland’s legal and financial precinct, the Vero Centre is a benchmark for office quality. This impressive office tower continues to attract many of New Zealand’s most respected companies and has won numerous awards for excellence in design, construction and efficiency. The building’s lobby has a distinct South Pacific style and is a showcase of New Zealand’s cultural artistry.

NDY was engaged to provide engineering services for mechanical (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) and building management control systems.

The Vero Centre is 42 storeys, comprising of 5 levels of car parking, loading dock and service levels, health club and gymnasium, main entry public foyer, retail outlets, 32 office levels and various full and part floor plant levels. The Centre measures 167 m tall to the top of the ‘halo’, with the spire on the rear of the building rising a further 3 m to take it to a total height of 170 m.

Engineering Innovation to Operational Efficiency

Innovations incorporated within the HVAC and building automation including mixed mode ventilation, pressure and temperature reset of supply air systems based upon actual load conditions, reset of chilled and condenser water systems based upon chiller operation conditions. The integration with architectural and structural elements have contributed to the Vero Centre receiving the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors 2001 award for Building Efficiency, the first office tower in the southern hemisphere to receive such recognition.

Analysis of the operating and energy consumption data places the building as setting the standard for future office developments. Current energy data confirms consumption values at 50% lower than existing ‘best practice’ EECA standards.

One of the design challenges of the Vero Centre foyer was to keep the visual impact of the mechanical services to a minimum. The end result is a testimony that this objective has been achieved.

Ongoing involvement with the project and a close relationship with its building management have assisted in fine-tuning system performance and operation. This involvement provides feedback on systems allowing continued improvement of design.

The Vero Centre was awarded the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Genesis Energy Commercial/Services Award 2004, recognising both its low energy usage and Kiwi’s own contribution to reducing energy consumption through intelligent building management.