Wintec House wins for Mainzeal NZ at Property Council Awards

Mainzeal’s renovation of the well-known historical building in central Hamilton, Wintec House, has won in two categories at the prestigious Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Awards for 2011.

Mainzeal won the top award for excellence in both the Heritage and Adaptive Reuses and the Education and Arts award categories. The awards were announced at a black tie gala dinner, Friday 10 June at the Langham Hotel in Auckland.

Wintec House is located on the northeast corner of the Wintec campus in Hamilton city. The two-storey building cost around $17 million to redevelop and took around 18 months to complete. It required extensive earthquake strengthening and, because of its Historic Places Trust Category B rating, the facade had to be preserved.

Mainzeal was the primary contractor for the inspired renovation of the building, which opened to the public in September 2010. “It’s a great feeling to be recognised in the property industry for all the hard work that went into the design and refurbishment of Wintec House. Through the dedication of our staff, as well as Chow:Hill Architects and consultants, Micon and Aecom, we were able to align a mix of the heritage building aspects of the building with a unique modern architecture that the Wintec campus strives for,” said Finlay Irwin, General Manager of the Waikato/BOP Branch of Mainzeal.

The nearly 100-year-old building on the corner of Anglesea and Ward streets is of historic significance for Wintec and the Waikato region. An iconic site in the Hamilton CBD, it signals the start of a boulevard which will seamlessly link the heart of the city through to the Wintec campus.

Wintec Chief Executive Mark Flowers said: “Wintec House is an impressive facility and one that we are immensely proud of. We are committed to modernising our campuses and have achieved this at the same time as preserving a piece of ours, Hamilton’s and the Waikato region’s heritage. I believe there is no other facility quite like Wintec House in the Waikato which combines educational facilities, a quality event space, and commercial offices all under the same roof.”

The Property Council of New Zealand/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards showcase important examples of development projects that have resulted in building better communities. The awards are considered the premiere competition within the construction industry for recognising exceptional building projects.

The Heritage and Reuse category recognises outstanding conservation projects, adaptive reuse of existing buildings/sites or high-quality infill development within an historic context.

The Education and Arts category recognises and rewards innovation in mixed-use developments.