Evening Post building strengthening project complete

FAIRFAX NZ

REJUVENATION: The 1928-vintage Evening Post building has been given a new lease of life after a year-long strengthening project.

The owners of the former Evening Post building in Willis St are pleased with the results of a strengthening project that has lifted their office block to 90 per cent of new building standard.

Body corporate chairman Graeme McInteer of Zephyr Consulting is confident the $2 million to $3m project to strengthen the renamed Zephyr House has been well worthwhile and has praised Fletcher for the way it was done.

The project began at the start of the last year after Rip Curl's ground floor shop lease expired.

Work involved sinking micro piles into the ground under the building and strengthening the structure with four-storey k-shaped braces - one behind the building's heritage facade, two around an internal light well and a fourth on a rear wall.

McInteer said the opportunity was also taken to do a lot of maintenance. This included painting, fixing windows to ensure they did not leak, replacing the flagpoles and make-good work to patch up where the builders had been.

Owners of the 13 unit titles in the building also took the chance to freshen up their offices while they were out of the building.

The building was previously rated at just 30 per cent of new building standard and the owners' investments in it were at peril.

It was a matter of having to do it for everybody to maintain their investments and McInteer said he had a simple message to owners of similar quake-prone buildings.

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Evening Post building strengthening project complete