More accolades for B201, with big wins in sustainability and innovation

The University’s redevelopment of the B201 building on Symonds Street has earned yet another prestigious honour.

At the Property Council New Zealand's (PCNZ) Property Industry Awards ceremony at Spark Arena on 14 June, the B201 Redevelopment Project achieved Excellence in all categories in which the building was entered as well as Best in Category for Sustainability.

The judges said the Resene Sustainable Building Property category was one of the fastest-growing, with a significant number of entries in the section, making B201’s winning achievement even more of a standout.

The  Sustainable Building Property category recognises sustainable developments that use  innovation and apply green building principles. The B201 Redevelopment was one of 12 nominees in the category and was among 141 entries for the 2024 awards.  

Property Industry Awards chief judge Andrew Evans said: “There is a notable demand for educational facilities across the country, and it’s encouraging to see many of these projects prioritising sustainable practices in recognition that it is the right thing to do, but also the expectation of users and occupiers.

"What is outstanding about the B201 Redevelopment, is that virtually every element of the project has embodied this, with teams not only employing world-class techniques, but creating them too.”

The University also won the Excellence in Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award and Excellence in Education Property Award.

“It was a fabulous evening for the team who attended and it was great to be recognised by the New Zealand Property Industry for the ground-breaking work that we have done with B201,” said Chief Property Officer Simon Neale. “This project was truly an example of words expressed in the University’s Strategic Plan Taumata Teitei ‘Pursuing excellence, despite uncertainty’.

“Much of the project was affected by the Covid-19 lockdowns, supply-chain issues, resourcing challenges and general uncertainty, but we dared to push for excellence and have been recognised for doing so.”

Simon acknowledged the team that worked on the B201 redevelopment project and thanked the entire Property Services Division for striving to achieve the best in everything they do.

The PCNZ Best in Category award adds to B201’s world-leading sustainable building credentials.

Previously the building has received the highest score to date (93 out of 100) for any building by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC). The 6 green star building is now a shining light on the City Campus landscape.

This latest award comes not long after several  other awards for the building in the past few months.

On 15 May, the building was a winner in the Auckland regional New Zealand Architecture Awards, and was also honoured by the International Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Awards, with its Repositioning (renovation) Award and its Systems Award for the adoption of innovative methods to enhance a building’s space for its occupants.

On 12 June the University of Auckland was ranked in the top 1 percent in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for Sustainability.