star port

Port Taranaki headquarters

Taranaki’s first Green Star project to receive five green stars reflects the green culture of Port Taranaki.

The new three storeyed headquarters for Port Taranaki overlooks the harbour near the ports of New Plymouth with the towering Mt Taranaki as a backdrop. Port Taranaki is a ‘Green Award’ port, providing an incentive to owners and managers of Green Award vessels, the port attracts vessels operating with high standards. In turn the community benefits as the port and the vessels make a positive difference to the local maritime environment.

The only deep water seaport on New Zealand's western seaboard, the port was established in 1875 and work on the first breakwater started in 1881. Today two breakwaters extending from either end of the naturally curved bay shelter the port.

The new Ports building is of passive solar design to reduce heating and cooling costs. Windows are designed for opening to also assist with temperature control. The smart air conditioning realises when windows have been opened and turns itself down to save energy. When employees go to the toilet, the water used for flushing comes from the office building's roof. Any contaminated rainwater dripping off vehicles that have been driven to work and parked flows into a ‘rain garden’ filled with specially selected plants to filter the water before it enters the city's stormwater system. And for those that choose to ride or walk, there’s everything from handy bike racks to convenient showers.

And the paint system is also focused on sustainability, with exterior Titan board and Exotec panels primed in Resene Quick Dry and topcoated in two coats of Resene X-200 acrylic weathertight membrane.

Inside, the paperfaced plasterboard walls were sealed with Environmental Choice approved Resene Broadwall Waterborne Wallboard Sealer and topcoated with Resene Zylone Sheen VOC Free in dry areas and Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer and Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in wet areas, all painted in Resene White.

The galvanised steel framing and interior steel were finished with Resene Armourcote 221 primer and two coats of Resene Uracryl 403 for maximum durability.

Silver beech ply panels doors, trims and reveals all coated in Resene Aquaclear semi-gloss waterborne urethane provide a natural accent against the neutral white backdrop. The first coat on the panels were sprayed and remaining coats were applied by brush and roller, using a blue solvent foam sleeve to achieve the ultimate spray like finish.

Waste reduction is also a hallmark of this project, with houses moved off the site being saved for future use and contractors proactively recycling materials during the construction. This waste not culture is also part of the finished building with its smart recycling systems.

Workers can even enjoy a quick dip in the sea at lunchtime at popular Ngamotu Beach, which sits within the port breakwaters adjacent to the operational area. It is unusual to find a beach within a port’s breakwaters, and even more so one that people will want to swim at. But the continued popularity of the beach reinforces just how much care and attention Port Taranaki takes with the environment.

Architect: Ian Pritchard Architects
Construction Company: Clelands Construction Ltd
Painting Contractor: D.R (Jack) Gray Ltd
Photographer: Pip Guthrie
Resene: Stef Christodoulou, Taranaki Branch Manager
From the Resene News – issue 1/2010

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