Pipiri Lane in Wynyard Quayside is an innovatively designed 6 Star Green Star commercial building.
It combines flexible workplace design with an active, pedestrian-focused ground plane shaped by the precinct’s storied marine and industrial heritage. Pipiri Lane is intentionally lower in height than the neighbouring Halsey and Pakenham buildings, responding sensitively to heritage structures including the Halsey Traders and Lysaght Building. Positioned at the intersection of three primary pedestrian laneways, it enhances ease of movement, texture and public amenity. Its distinct saw tooth roof and stainless-steel cladding further reference the area’s marine heritage, while its mass timber structure serves as a test case for the wider Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct. Co-designed with Mana Whenua, the scheme draws on Te Aranga principles and narratives of land, water, and sky to create a cohesive precinct that completes the district.
Sustainability was a key driver for Precinct Properties with mass timber playing a central role. The design optimised the timber grid and aligned different spaces, including small studio offices, shared kitchen areas, and event spaces, using timber as the primary material. The two lower floors use a tighter grid to accommodate offices and meeting rooms, while the upper-level features large open event spaces under a long-span lightweight timber roof with LVL purlins. The structure uses radiata pine timber where it is efficient, resulting in a hybrid system: gravity framing comprising cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors supported by glulam beams and columns with steel cross bracing for lateral resistance. The steel elements are concealed in non-structural timber framed walls to maintain the architectural vision and aesthetic.
The GL10 radiata pine glulam columns are designed as two storey full height columns with local notches for seating of the radiata pine GL10 glulam floor beams, allowing simple connections without steel plates. These full height columns also supported Hawkins’ innovative erection approach of constructing vertical sections from ground to roof, rather than floor by floor. Each completed section could be immediately wrapped and weather-protected, minimising moisture exposure which is critical for timber construction quality. The raised floor system allowed steel tension chords to be screwed on the CLT floors and be concealed, enabling the CLT floor elements to function efficiently as both gravity elements and lateral diaphragms without additional concrete toppings. This reduced building weight, material demands, and embodied carbon.
By prioritising sustainability and aligning with Precinct’s net zero goals, Pipiri Lane achieved an industry leading 6-star 'World Leadership' Green Star Design rating. With CLT floors, glulam beams, and columns, Pipiri Lane's upfront embodied carbon, including biogenic carbon stored in the timber, is estimated to be around 70% lower than a comparable conventional building. Pipiri Lane has no fossil fuel supplies, and members and event clients are supported to meet their own sustainability goals through low-impact operations and zero-waste event options. Alongside the environmental benefits, the design and warmth from the timber makes for an incredibly special space to work, meet, and celebrate within.
