5 Green Star Media Release

Club Tower 5 Green Star Rating a South Island First

Left to Right:

Rohan Bush - NZGBC Green Star NZ Manager, Clint Greaves - Latitude Group - General Manager, Ken Wimsett - Latitude Group - Director, Jane Henley - NZGBC CEO

Latitude Group’s Club Tower development in central Christchurch has been awarded a 5 Green Star rating, making it the first building to achieve a Green Star rating in the South Island.

The 5 Green Star rating was awarded to Club Tower by the New Zealand Green Building Council for ‘New Zealand Excellence’ in building design.

Latitude Group Director Ken Wimsett says they are extremely proud to be awarded the 5 Green Star rating for the innovative design of Club Tower.

“We’ve worked very hard on this project, making sure it meets the requirements for the Green Star rating. We see ourselves as leaders in the area of green initiatives with regard to the design of our buildings,” he says.

“Our vision and philosophy is to continually seek excellence in the environmental sustainability of our properties. We are ahead of our time in this area and this is what sets us apart from other property development companies.”

Jane Henley, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Green Building Council, says Latitude Group deserves high praise for leading the way in sustainability.

“The award of a 5 Green Star rating to Club Tower in Christchurch represents New Zealand excellence in Green Building practice. We’re thrilled to see the achievements of everyone involved come to fruition.”

Alan Barbour of Beca Buildings is the environmental sustainable design consultant employed to oversee the Club Tower development. He is a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council and a GreenStar Accredited Professional. He says Club Tower has set the standard for environmental sustainable design in office buildings.

“Latitude Group is to be congratulated on attaining the 5 Green Star rating. The sustainable design of the building has achieved improved internal environments in a more environmentally responsible manner, while offering longer-term value for owner and tenant.”

Ken Wimsett will be officially presented with a 5 Green Star certificate by the New Zealand Green Building Council.

Supporting Material

Green Star NZ is New Zealand’s first comprehensive environmental rating system for buildings. Green Star NZ evaluates building projects against eight environmental impact categories. Within each category, points are awarded for initiatives that demonstrate a project has met overall objectives of Green Star NZ and the specific critieria of the relevant credits. Points are then weighted and an overall score is calculated, determining the project’s Green Star NZ Rating. See www.nzgbc.org.nz

About Club Tower

• Club Tower is named after the historic Canterbury Club and is being constructed on Worcester Boulevard, central Christchurch, directly behind the Canterbury Club
• Proceeds from the sale of the land to Latitude Group will be used to restore the Canterbury Club, a category two villa and historic cottage, to its former glory
• Club Tower is the first A-grade office tower constructed in Christchurch for almost 20 years
• Club Tower will be sustainable and environmentally efficient in terms of energy, water use and the ability for recycling on site
• Its innovative design will make it the most technically advanced office tower in Christchurch’s CBD

It will consist of 10 levels of office space made up of open floor plates with a minimum amount of columns to allow maximum use of space.

• This provides great flexibility for leasing requirements, with a typical floor plate size of approximately 580-602 square metres
• On the ground level, a landscaped, indoor/outdoor space for dining and socialising flows out into the boulevard
• Club Tower contains retail and office space, views to the Southern Alps and across the Avon River, plenty of car parking, a café and is close to all major arterial routes

• Rental costs will be comparable to those of a normal building. Tenants will probably end up saving money on power and water due to the efficient use of these resources
• A ventilation system will monitor carbon dioxide levels and daylight into the building
• Lights will be controlled by a daylight sensor
• Acoustics have been carefully planned so there will be no acoustic interference between the tenants on different floors
• There will be no lights pointing up to the sky to avoid light pollution
• The building contains low energy light fittings controlled by daylight sensors that will automatically ramp up and down depending on how bright the day is
• Water efficiency is maintained by using fittings that reduce the water use
• “Grey” water (water from basins and sinks) will be used to do landscaping irrigation.
• A recycling area has been set aside for glass, paper, cardboard and aluminium which can be sorted before it leaves the building
• The internal fit-outs are being completed as the building is being constructed to avoid waste
• The building will support businesses now and in the future
• Design of office building is of human dimensions with a fresh approach to the workplaces, recognising that a company’s most important assets are its people
• Large, clear open office floor plates
• Energy efficiency of the building is paramount
• High ratio of car parks to office space
• Three high speed, destination lifts will reduce energy consumption through improved performance
• Low iron green double glazed glass with maximum capacity that reflects heat and solar gain - glass façade design and engineering will optimise the contributions of natural light while controlling the effects of solar gain through the use of double glazed low-E panels
• Thermal insulation within the façade non-vision panels
• Use of recycled steel and timber will come from a sustainable source
• The carpet, paint, thermal insulation and floor tiles will be eco-friendly

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