There were five finalists in the GIB Projects $35-$100 Million category:
• Matthew Street, Clearwater Construction (Outlook Mission Bay, Auckland)
• Carl Bohnen, Naylor Love Wellington (Wellington East Girls’ College Major Redevelopment, Wellington)
• Anthony Tahana, Hawkins Central (University of Waikato Tauranga Campus, Tauranga)
• Daniel Wright & Stephen Brown, NZ Strong Group (Metlifecare Greenwich Gardens Stages 9 & 10, Auckland)
• Nathan Halloran, Kalmar Construction (Sugartree Apartments Stage 3 Altro, Auckland)
Two Highly Commended awards and one Excellence award were presented in this category.
The first Highly Commended award went to Matthew Street of Clearwater Construction for his work on the Outlook Mission Bay project in Auckland. Comprising 43-upmarket apartments within three separate buildings, this was an ambitious project from an architectural, structural, and construction perspective. The architectural design was particularly demanding requiring high-quality finishes. As Project Manager, Matthew ran workshops involving the wider project team to resolve design issues, and utilised BIM to enable a smooth flow of information throughout construction, keeping the programme on track.
The second Highly Commended award went to Nathan Halloran of Kalmar Construction for his work on the Sugartree Apartments project in Auckland. The apartment complex has three apartment towers, and Stage 3 (Altro), comprises 289 apartments over 13 levels, plus retail space and car parking. Nathan managed Stages 2 and 3. When construction began, resources were scarce, particularly so for building concrete structures. This threatened a timely delivery of the project. Nathan engaged steel-fixers through an associated company, resolving the problem and enabling successful delivery.
Carl Bohnen of Naylor Love Wellington was awarded Excellence for his work on the Wellington East Girls’ College Major Redevelopment project. Carl was also the Category Winner. The project involved the construction of three multi-story buildings, including one behind a heritage façade. This project had significant challenges, including operating within a live environment, a tight steeply-sloping site, and the removal of asbestos and lead paint. These called for careful planning and clear communication with the school and community. Carl overcame these difficulties and the project handover was completed to the agreed timetable, although not the original date due to the unforeseen elements that took time to mitigate. Carl’s leadership and communication skills ensured the success of a highly complex and challenging project.
