TECT Arena at Baypark is a finalist in the Property Council awards – recognition which is being described as testimony to the $41million venue's top standard.
Tauranga City Council engineer Howard Severnsin, who has been involved in the development of the arena since 2006, says everyone involved in the project can take credit for the recognition.
The TECT Arena during the AIMS Games in Tauranga last year.
He says the team aimed to make the awards' finals and have their fingers crossed for the finals on June 8.
'I think, without being cocky, we had always expected to become a finalist and judging by what happened last year when they had a number of excellence and merit awards we are hoping the building will be among those.”
Tauranga City Venues Ltd CEO Ervin McSweeny says being named a finalist vindicates the choices made in the arena's design.
The arena, which was completed last August costing $41million, is one of nine properties named as finalists in the category and one of five Bay of Plenty finalists among 82 in the annual awards.
The cost was covered by a $25million loan, $7million in development contributions from across the Western Bay of Plenty region and $9million from external funding – including TECT, NZ Lottery and the Perry Trust.
'From our perspective it provides recognition that it's a superior facility and clearly considered by the industry to be one of the leading facilities to be built in the year,” says Ervin.
'Hopefully it encourages people to want to get involved and use it. Since it's been opened seven months ago it's been very favourably received and this just sort of endorses that.”
Both Howard and Ervin describe the award as great recognition for the city and everyone involved.
Property Council CEO Connal Townsend says many of the top properties combined 'ingenuity, resourcefulness and good urban design principles”.
The awards focus on excellence in property development based on efficient use of capital, maximum investor return and for public buildings, - the greatest community benefit.
'It's going to be very tough for our judges to select the winning properties because the standard is just so high,” he says.
Connal is delighted with the high proportion of finalists from outside the main centres – including eight from Christchurch and seven from Waikato.
Other Bay of Plenty finalists are: Papamoa College is a finalist in the ‘green property' and ‘education and arts' categories; Beca's redeveloped offices in Harrington House is a finalist in the ‘green property' and ‘commercial property categories; Rotorua Museum of Art and History is a finalist in both the `heritage and adaptive reuse' and ‘education and arts' categories.
In the Tourism and Leisure category TECT Arena is up against:
Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza - Dunedin
Te wao Nui New Zealand Precinct, Auckland Zoo - Auckland
SkyCity Casino - Auckland
Q Theatre - Auckland
Next Generation Auckland domain - Auckland
TECT Arena - Tauranga
Knoll Ridge Cafe, Mt Ruapehu - Whakapapa, Central North Island
Novotel Auckland Airport – Auckland
The Cloud - Auckland
4 comments
$41 MILLION ?? TUI AD THERE
Posted on 18-05-2012 16:42 | By Crash test dummies
That almost means that it was at or about budget, that can not possible be right, the contingency amount (half what it should have been) was spent before the they even got half the foundations in the ground. The amount of concrete, legal battle and fights between the contractor and Council racked up to around $2.5 million (contingency was only $1.2 million). After that many items were tendered separately so as the main contractor could not then blow the budget (not their fault, it was the bad design, costly in every respect). This is the same at the Auckland Museum alterations. large parts of the costs have been shuffled about else where in Council so as no one really knows the true costs.
Yep!!!
Posted on 19-05-2012 09:34 | By Hector
Same old pat on the back drivel here, why these people need awards for ineptitude, is beyond me, to many trumpet blowers and ego strokers. A great facility if managed properly, but there has been way to much ratepayer funds wasted here, and unfortunately, unless the awards are made of solid gold, that we can melt down and sell, what is in it for us.
WHAT THE HECTOR HAPPENED HERE?
Posted on 22-05-2012 22:04 | By TERMITE
I think the annualogy of Humpty Dumpty is appropriate here and the egg is already dropped like a hot potato, smashed into many some. Do you want to put it back together again, and why would you?
Spendthrift vs Looks
Posted on 24-05-2012 15:45 | By Scambuster
Hope everyone feels the same about this money loser when it all turns to custard. Will these gentlemen be around to face the music.
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