Sustainable Building Case Study:

Conservation House
Whare Kaupapa Atawhai
 Published in June 2007 by the
Ministry for the Environment
Manatū Mō Te Taiao
PO Box 10362, Wellington, New Zealand

ISBN: 978-0-478-30150-2
ME number: ME 819

This document is available on the Ministry for the Environment’s website:

www.mfe.govt.nz
Contents

Introduction 1

Building Outputs 3

Tennant Outputs 3

Main Areas of Achievement 3

Project Background 3

Environmentally Sustainable Design Considerations 4

Lessons Learnt 10

Links 11

Glossary 11

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai iii
 Building Type Retrofit of existing
building
Location 18–32 Manners Street,
Wellington
Building Owner and The Wellington
Developer Company Ltd
Tenant The Department of
Conservation
Development and Gill Consultants Ltd
Project Manager
Tenant’s Advisor Bogacki Property
Architect Architecture+
Engineer Sinclair Knight Merz
Size 7159 m2 lettable area

Introduction
It is more than fitting that the caretakers of New Zealand’s natural environment are now housed
in one of the most environmentally friendly office buildings in the country.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) occupies refitted premises in downtown Wellington

that boast the most advanced of sustainable ventilation and energy-saving strategies.

The former cinema complex, now known as Conservation House, underwent a transformation
that incorporated so many sustainable principles that it won the Sustainable Building Award at
the 2006 Govt3 Awards.

In 2004, the general management team of DOC developed a strategy to drive significant culture
change within the organisation. At that time, the Department was operating from four separate
buildings, which cultivated a ‘silo’ approach to communication and cooperation.

Senior management realised that moving together under one roof would go some way towards
changing the prevailing culture. It would also provide a unique opportunity to express the values
and beliefs of the organisation – to ‘walk the sustainable talk’.

Staff members were surveyed to ensure their needs were included in the building design brief
and the request for proposals. Staff wanted fresh air, windows that opened and a clean working
environment.

Recognising that change can be threatening, care was taken to address staff members’ concerns.
Constant communication between management and staff was a feature of the entire process.
Staff members were also involved in selecting furniture to ensure it was fit for purpose and in
line with sustainability criteria.

The design brief for the new accommodation was based on the principles of a sustainable
building. DOC broke new ground for a government department and for the industry in its search
for accommodation. It went to the market with its request for proposals only to find there was
little appetite for sustainable building specifications. It received just two responses that met its
needs from developers, both of which happened to be the most cost-effective.

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai 1

The Wellington Company’s proposal was for the redevelopment of the existing podium and
basement levels of the Mid City building in Manners Street. It stuck to the principles of a “high
performance green building” with its objectives being to prevent environmental degradation and
avoid resource depletion of energy, water and raw materials.

Securing the services of The Wellington Company to deliver Conservation House, DOC began
a strong partnership with the building’s owner. This was new for both parties, but proved
beneficial to the point that DOC contracted the same companies to complete the fit-out that the
owner had used for the base building.

The green building rating scheme Green Star was just coming into the market in Australia and
was used as a design guide on the project.

The new building’s successful three-floor, open-plan design has contributed to an open
environment both spatially and socially – a shift that has been easier for younger generations,
leaving the others to slowly embrace the more interactive environment. The divisive ‘silo’
approach that once existed has changed significantly within the organisation.

The new building has maintained a strong office and central government presence in this part of
Wellington. This has been important in preserving this as a competitive and thriving part of the
Wellington City Central Business District.

Reception area. Photo courtesy of the Department of Conservation.

2 Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai

Building Outputs Tennant Outputs
765.5 MWh per year (based on
Energy 100% use of chilled beams) Fit-out costs $6.3 m
2
(101.4 kWh/m /y)

Greenhouse gas 428.8 tonnes CO2

Green elements $0.75 m
emissions (56.8 kgCO2/m2)

Savings (estimate)
$1,050,000 above a conventional
Capital costs • Energy $0.030 m
office building
• Effectiveness $0.735 m

$105,000 per year on energy

costs
Savings Savings could increase to
$115,000 based on 70% use of
chilled beams

Main Areas of Achievement

Conservation House is one of the most sustainable buildings in New Zealand due to a raft of
environmentally friendly features that include:
• the first use of active chilled beam technology in an office building in Australasia
• rainwater collection that supplies a water feature and toilets
• a double layer glass façade to allow natural airflow and air-conditioning
• a fully addressable lighting system that uses occupancy detection and daylight harvesting
• a heat pump water system
• sustainable internal fittings, such as carpet tiles to easily replace small areas of carpet
• PVC-free fittings, including roller blinds and linoleum
• materials containing low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and formaldehyde.

Waste minimisation measures during construction saw demolition and construction waste sorted
on site and then collected by appropriate agencies for recycling.

Project Background
The mission of DOC, a central government organisation, is “to conserve New Zealand's natural
and historic heritage for all to enjoy now and in the future”.

As the ideal headquarters from which to deliver this mission, DOC was looking for an
environmentally friendly building that would offer a safe, healthy, comfortable and productive
working environment for staff, as well as demonstrating DOC’s commitment to sustainability.

DOC chose the existing Manners Street building after evaluating a number of possible
accommodation proposals, including a new build, Mid City was selected because it was priced

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai 3

competitively, provided an innovative and high-quality green building design, and was located
close to amenities staff members were already using.

Property developer The Wellington Company was totally committed to environmentally

sustainable design considerations. This was vividly demonstrated by its mid-project decision to
install chilled beam technology instead of the system that was its contractual responsibility and
picking up the difference in cost.

The guiding environmental principles for the building’s refit included:

• minimising energy consumption
• protecting and conserving water
• using environmentally preferred materials
• enhancing the quality of the interior environment
• optimising operational and maintenance practices.

The resulting building meets these principles, as well as DOC’s requirements. Conservation
House is an iconic, ecologically sustainable building that features an exciting yet efficient open-
plan layout strongly connected to the external environment and nature.

Environmentally Sustainable Design

Considerations

Management
The Wellington Company and DOC together set out to create an environmentally friendly,
energy efficient, sustainable space. They established a project management team that worked
collaboratively to maximise the interests of both parties.

Energy
The building uses a number of passive, mechanical and staff behaviour strategies to promote
energy efficiency. For example, its mixed-mode ventilation system combines natural ventilation
strategies with active chilled beams – an air-conditioning system that significantly reduces
energy consumption. It is the first active chilled beam system ever installed in offices in
Australasia – a visionary move initiated by building owner, The Wellington Company.

Highly energy efficient, chilled beams are a state-of-the-art sustainable measure being
integrated into the design of new and refurbished buildings around the world.

4 Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai

View of the chilled beams, DALI sensor and the highly energy-efficient lights.

Exposed concrete ceiling surfaces act as thermal mass to absorb excess heat generated during
the day, and night ventilation flushes the building. Hot water is produced by heat pumps that
also capture waste heat from the building.

The high-performance, double-glazed façades not only minimise energy loss and consumption
but also allow people to view and understand the natural ventilation and heating.

The lighting system – the Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) – delivers energy-
efficient control of all the building’s lighting, including automatic daylight dimming of
perimeter and motion sensor lights. High-efficiency T5 low-mercury lamps and solid-state,
long-life LED lamps have been used throughout, minimising not only energy consumption but
also the environmental impact of their disposal.

Working in harmony with the DALI lighting controls is a networked building management
system that monitors, adjusts and manages the electrical and mechanical systems. This makes it
the most sophisticated networked system currently in New Zealand.

The main stairs have also been designed to be visible and easily accessible to encourage staff to
use them in preference to the lifts.

A small 1.5 kWh wind generator has been installed on the podium roof to provide power for the
lights in the outdoor areas.

The graph on the following page shows the comparison of energy use between a conventional
building (on the left) and Conservation House.

The calculations for Conservation House are based on its chilled beams running for 100 per cent
of the year. Current predictions are that the chilled beams will only be required for 70 per cent
of the year. Based on this prediction, the energy output will reduce to 89+ kWwh/m2, resulting
in further efficiency and savings.

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai 5

 Energy

250
Miscellaneous

200 Equipment

Hot water
150
Kwh/m2

Fans and Pumps

100

Cooling

50
Heating

0 Lighting
Property Council Benchmark Conservation House

Water
Rainwater is collected from the building’s roof and walls and stored in a basement tank. This
water is supplying 77 per cent of the building’s non-potable demand, such as for cleaning, toilet
flushing and servicing the pools on the roof.

Heat pumps provide hot water, and sensor taps conserve water use and energy.

The following graph contrasts the water use per person per day in a conventional building (on
the left) with the significant savings made in Conservation House.

Water

25
Litres per person/day

20
Urinal flushing
15

10 Toilet flushing

5 Potable

0
Standard Office Conservation
Building House

6 Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai

Indoor Environmental Quality
The building is naturally ventilated. Fresh air supplied from the rooftop comes down through
the atria and returns by convection back to the rooftop through the void between the two layers
of external glass.

The use of chilled beams has been shown to increase indoor air quality, as well as reduce plant
noise. In fact, background or ‘pink’ noise will feature at Conservation House to counteract the
silence of the interior.

The amount of natural light entering the building has been optimised by building atria and
installing large perimeter windows. The glass-roofed atria allow natural light to penetrate deeply
into the floor plates. The lighting system is designed to react to this natural light and
automatically dims individual light fittings to offer a more comfortable and natural working
environment.

Building materials were chosen to improve the indoor air quality by specifying materials with
low emissions of VOCs and formaldehyde.

Atrium. Photo courtesy of Department of Conservation.

Interior Fit-out
Gill Consultants Ltd, a member of the project management team for the retrofit, commented that
employees would not have to use their lungs to filter toxins in the air in this office environment.

Conservation House has a clean, green interior featuring:

• non-toxic paints
• electrical equipment that is free of polychlorines and phenyls
• building materials with low emissions of formaldehyde, chlorofluorocarbons and VOCs.

Timber is from sustainable plantations and includes Tasmanian oak and Victorian ash.

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai 7

Ecology of the Site
The architects, Architecture+, sought to integrate green building credentials into the streetscape
of Wellington by using two glass façades linked to internal atria, allowing the use of natural
ventilation in an urban environment.

The Department of Conservation shop on Manners Street provides an active street frontage as
well as enhancing the distinctive marketing opportunities of conservation house.

Materials
Building materials were specified that have low emissions of VOCs and formaldehyde to reduce
internal air pollutants. Environmental Choice New Zealand products like Laminex MDF,
Resene paints and Forbo linoleum were specified wherever possible. Using PVC was avoided
where practicable, such as laying linoleum instead of vinyl on bathroom floors.

Waste Minimisation
DOC has moved to full recycling, both at the desk and within the building. Staff have a small
bin for recycling waste on their desks, and another bin for recycling paper. The layout of
Conservation House allocates space for recycling, so all utility areas and kitchens have separate
collection bins for organic, inorganic, paper, glass, plastic and metal waste. Staff are expected to
separate their recycling waste from their desk each day.

Network
The highly sophisticated networked building management system monitors, adjusts and
manages the lighting, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

Transport
Conservation House is placed in a central Wellington location and is connected with all the
major bus routes in the city. Directly outside the main entry on Manners Street is one of the
most well serviced bus stops in the city. Being centred with the central business district of
Wellington it is only a short walk to most of the cities major facilities and it is only a 20 minute
walk to Wellington railway station. A large bicycle park and shower facilities are located in the
building to encourage the use of this sustainable transport option, as well as promoting staff
fitness.

8 Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai

Urban Design
The key urban design qualities of this project are:
• context of the site with its maintenance of a strong office and therefore people presence in
this part of Wellington
• character in the provision of an active street frontage with interesting Department of
Conservation displays that link with the internal aspects of the buildings use
• custodianship in it long term commitment to an environmentally sustainable development
• connections in the high priority placed on walking, cycling and transport due to its central
Wellington location.

Roof-top garden outside the café and seminar rooms.

Photo courtesy of the Department of Conservation.

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai 9

Lessons Learnt

Each case study attempts to identify a lesson learnt during the project. The aim of this
is to help transfer knowledge among all stakeholders in the built environment, so
collectively we can build up our expertise and become true leaders in sustainability.

Major challenges:
Coordinating the final designs for Conservation House while trying to incorporate evolving
technologies: the building owner decided to pay for and install chilled beam technology
mid-project instead of the planned VAV system, necessitating not only a redesign of the
air-conditioning systems but a reworking of all other service and ceiling designs.

Lesson:
Obtaining a wider perspective on possible emerging technologies at the start of a project
is crucial. Doing so in this case would have alerted the project team to the potential use of
chilled beams and lighting control technologies, avoiding the need for redesign.

Positive outcomes:
All planned sustainable initiatives were implemented and more were added, such as
chilled beams. Leasing this cutting-edge sustainable building is seen as an important
cultural direction for DOC.

10 Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai

Links
The Department of Conservation:
www.doc.govt.nz

The 2006 Govt3 Awards:

www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/govt3/awards2006.html

Glossary
Chilled beam technology
Chilled beam technology is an air-conditioning system that combines radiant cooling and
ventilation. The cooling effect is achieved by convection, using finned elements through which
water is passed at around 15 to 18°C, with air supplied to rooms through diffusers built into the
beams.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
The haloalkanes (also known as halogenoalkanes) are a group of chemical compounds
consisting of alkanes, such as methane or ethane, with one or more halogens linked such as
chlorine or fluorine, making them a type of organic halide.

One major use of CFCs has been as propellants in aerosols. Since the late 1970s, the use of
CFCs has been heavily regulated because of their destructive effects on the ozone layer.

ESD
ESD stands for environmentally sustainable design.

Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a colourless, strong-smelling gas widely used to manufacture building
materials. Its most significant use is as an adhesive resin in pressed wood products. There are
two types of formaldehyde resins: urea formaldehyde (UF) and phenol formaldehyde (PF).
Products made of urea formaldehyde can release formaldehyde gas; products made of phenol
formaldehyde generally emit lower levels of the gas.

Heat pump water system

A heat pump is essentially a refrigeration system working in reverse. Instead of pumping heat
from an evaporator inside the refrigerator to a condenser in the room, the heat pump pumps heat
from an evaporator in the atmosphere to a condenser attached to the hot water cylinder.

Laminex MDF
Laminex MDF is a medium-density fibre board made up of wood particles, urea formaldehyde
resin, melamine urea formaldehyde resin and paraffin wax.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride)

A plastic used in electrical cable insulation, piping and many other building industry
applications.

Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai 11

Solid-state, long-life LED lamps
Lighting applications that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light-emitting diodes
(OLEDs) or light-emitting polymers are commonly referred to as solid-state lighting.

T5 low-mercury lamps
Linear fluorescent lamps with low mercury content and good light output that is highly energy
efficient.

VAV or variable air volume

A technique for controlling the capacity of a heating, ventilating and/or air-conditioning system.
The air volume can be varied to meet the rising and falling heat gains or losses within the
thermal zone served.

VOCs
VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. They are organic chemical compounds that have
high enough vapour pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporise and enter the
Earth’s atmosphere. The group includes carbon-based molecules such as ketones and
hydrocarbons.

12 Sustainable Building Case Study: Conservation House Whare Kaupapa Atawhai