New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/02C | Page 65

NEW BEGINNINGS
Previously a 19-storey office block, the 4½-star Four Points by Sheraton on Queen St
capitalises on its prime CBD location and panoramic cityscape and harbour views
Right:Russell Property Group’s
re-development of 396 Queen
St has transformed the previous
19-storey office block into the
4½-star Four Points by Sheraton
Auckland. The reconfiguration of
the building included the creation
of a porte cochere off Mayoral
Drive, giving easy access to the
welcoming reception lobby.
With the current high demand for hotel rooms
in Auckland projected to continue, developers are
looking at different ways to address the challenges
of bringing new properties onto the market.
One issue is the scarcity of suitable sites in prime
locations, plus there's the high cost of building new.
Russell Property Group (RPG) has tackled those
issues in its development of 396 Queen Street, con-
verting the former office block into the Four Points
by Sheraton Auckland at the prime CBD location.
RPG managing director Brett Russell says
that while taking the project through nine staged
consents was a challenge for the design and
construction teams, it allowed the project quicker
delivery to market, through staged hand-overs.
Level 16 down was delivered 18 months after
purchase with a soft opening of 170 rooms, whilst
construction continued on the top four floors, with
Level 17 used as a buffer zone.
"The sumptuous design and unique offering has
both enhanced the in-house facilities and created a
destination venue – including the Churchill rooftop
bar, which capitalises on the unrivalled views," says
Russell.
The remaining four floors and 85 rooms, were
delivered 10 months after the soft opening.
“Partnering with Sheraton – now owned by Marriot
– enabled the hotel brand’s re-introduction into the
Auckland market, and our design partners ensured
we created a project worthy of this new start.”
To design the comprehensive re-development,
RPG called on the expertise of Dalman Architects,
specialist hotel architects who have worked
throughout Australasia and the South Pacific.
Project director Richard Dalman says his firm's
role was to interpret RPG's vision for conversion of
the existing office building into a new 4½-star hotel.
"We commenced after winning the architectural
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