Winners announced in New Zealand's Commercial Building Awards

Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium, New Zealand's first undercover stadium, has taken out the Supreme Award at the recent New Zealand Commercial Project Awards.

Up against more than 40 of the country's top commercial buildings, the Forsyth Barr Stadium, built by Hawkins Construction South Island Ltd, was described as "a magnificent tour de force", "a project of firsts" and "a credit to all involved".

The project was also awarded a Gold and Category Winner prize for the 'Industrial' category, and top project over $15 million.

A statement from the judges explained "from the unique snow melt valves in the translucent ETFE plastic roof to the indoor natural grass pitch, the Forsyth Barr Stadium impressed us with the sheer volume of man hours (1,370,000), meticulous planning and creative approach that saw the team continually searching for ways to 'do it smarter'."

Sponsored by industry heavyweights PlaceMakers, James Hardie, NALCO, GIB and Allied Concrete, the inaugural whole of sector awards programme - which evolved from the RMB Commercial Project Awards first launched in 2006 - recognises the New Zealand's top commercial buildings and the teams behind them.

Awards spokesman Greg Pritchard added "overall, the quality of the projects entered was outstanding.

"All our winners had a similar recipe for success an incredible team, from design through to construction, dedicated to producing an award-winning commercial building."

Projects were judged by industry experts and measured against a strict judging criteria to win Gold, Silver or Bronze awards, as well as national category wins and the supreme award. Four value-based awards ranging from projects under $2 million through to over $15 million were also made, while a Special Award was given to the special needs school Kimi Ora, in Lower Hutt, built by Maycroft Construction. The exceptional purpose-built school includes facilities such as a multi-purpose room, a music therapy room, a hydrotherapy pool, a sensory room and sensory garden and courtyards.

Category winners were:

Restoration: Blacksheep Design, Palmerston North (Humphries Construction) Gold

Retail: Kaiapoi New World Supermarket, Christchurch (Leigh's Construction) Gold

Education: Scots College Creative and Performing Arts Centre, Wellington (Field and Hall Ltd) Gold

Health: St John Ambulance, Gisborne (D Stevens Ltd) Gold

Residential: Christchurch Temporary Accommodation Linwood Park/Kaiapoi Domain (Hawkins Construction South Island Ltd) Bronze

Commercial and Civic: Christchurch Civic Building (Hawkins Construction South Island Ltd) Gold

Industrial: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin (Hawkins Construction South Island Ltd) Gold (pictured)

Tourism and Leisure: The Rippon Hall, Rippon Vineyard, Wanaka (Amalgamated Builders) Gold

Project under $2 million: Blacksheep Design, Palmerston North (Humphries Construction)

Project between $2 million and $5 million: The Rippon Hall, Rippon Vineyard, Wanaka (Amalgamated Builders)

Project $5 million to $15 million: Scots College Creative and Performing Arts Centre, Wellington (Field and Hall Ltd)

Project over $15 million: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin (Hawkins Construction South Island Ltd)

Special award: Kimi Ora School, Lower Hutt (Maycroft Construction).

5th August 2011 - DUNEDIN’S FORSYTH BARR STADIUM OPENS