Wallace Development Company sees the development at Dalton House and Vautier House, Napier as being complementary to the Napier City Council and the new ‘Library and Civic Area Plan’ being undertaken on the same block.
Development manager Ryan Schnell said Wallace Development Company had a long track record of repurposing and redeveloping buildings which had reached their useful life span, by giving old building a new lease on life.
“There are few properties in the region that present the opportunity that exists at 180 Dalton Street,” he said.
Schnell said when complete the buildings would house between 700-800 employees who will be working in the CBD on a day-to-day basis.
“All these people will use local shops for coffees and lunches and the odd beer or wine after work, this is all very positive for the vibe of the CBD and the city economy. When these projects are finished the area will be a vibrant and pleasant place to be and this will encourage people to use and spend time in this part of town.”
Wallace Development Company anticipated most of the work to be completed in the next six months with further internal works done when the floors were leased.
There will be a large number of tradespeople who will be involved in the project, ranging between 50 and 100 people, who will spend from hours to weeks on the site depending on their specific task.
“The people are employed by businesses who we engage to carry out the various parts and stages of the development, so the development certainly will create employment opportunities within these businesses involved,” Schnell said.
“With the building undergoing significant change both inside and out, we will be engaging a large number of contractors and sub-contractors across disciplines and specialities to deliver this project.”
“We see huge potential in the existing structure and the opportunity to enhance available lettable office space in the city, which will allow us to attract quality tenants such as Te Whatu Ora,” who will leasing part of the space.
The buildings were constructed in 1985, with an NBS rating of 100 per cent of the current code, he said.
“They have a solid structure, which we will be utilising as we look to ensure we are environmentally sensitive in our practises.”
Schnell added the façade enhancements and enclosing of many existing balconies would be where much of the structural works were required.
He said the lettable spaces would be fully refurbished.
“With over 8,000m2 of net lettable area, the buildings will house multiple tenants, but the exact number will only be known after lease negotiations are concluded,” he said.
“We are engaging with local and national tenants across a range of sectors with current interest in the space pleasing.”
Currently Te Whatu Ora, Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay (formerly Hawke’s Bay DHB) is the largest tenant but that might not be the case for long with the interest received to date and the large floor plates available.
Safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff and improving working conditions were some of the key drivers of Te Whatu Ora, Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay, moving into a part of Dalton House and Vautier House, Napier.
Paula Jones, Interim Lead – Hospital & Specialist Services at Te Whatu Ora, Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay said the move, in 2024, will create “much-needed space” in buildings which are designed for high acuity and specialist care.
“Certain administrative teams and services who predominantly see people and whānau in the community will relocate away from Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and Napier Health” Jones said.
The leased office space at 180 Dalton St will cater for 190 full-time-equivalent roles, however the exact number of people moving in is still to be confirmed, she said.
“Key drivers of this change are safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff, improving working conditions for our workforce, and repatriating space within the hospital and Napier Health for clinical services.”
Jones said Te Whatu Ora was leasing office space at 180 Dalton St, providing an opportunity to form integrated care teams that support whānau to be healthy in their communities, a key goal in Whānau Ora, Hapori Ora Healthy Families Healthy Communities 2019-2029.
“180 Dalton Street will provide a home base for services that deliver care to people in their homes, schools and other settings to do administrative and non-clinical work,” Jones said.
“As such, there will be no change to where patients go to attend medical appointments. Patients will continue to attend all appointments at their current known locations.
“Freeing up space in buildings meant for high-acuity, specialist care allows us to start work on high-priority projects such as radiology.”
Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ on Air
Wow, it’s great to see how renovating buildings can create job opportunities and improve healthcare services for our community!
Upgrading buildings can bring positive outcomes, like more job opportunities and better healthcare services, benefiting both people and the community!