Wood looking good for new Warehouse and Leeming stores

Contractors, tradies and suppliers had a sneak peek inside the new Warehouse and Noel Leeming stores off Woodcocks Road in Warkworth recently, when developer Glen Inger hosted an open afternoon on April 13. Inger, who was one of the founders of The Warehouse and is still a shareholder, was keen to show off the eco-friendly innovations and methods used in the first stage of his Kowhai Falls shopping centre, which is due to open its doors on May 22. At first glance and from the outside, the 6500-square metre building looks much like any other big box store build, but this particular development is a long way from The Warehouse’s old ‘red shed’ format.

Inger, working with Scott Watson from Naylor Love, was determined to keep the project’s carbon footprint low and energy efficiency high to make it one of the most efficient retail buildings in New Zealand.

The biggest point of difference between Kowhai Falls and a traditional build is the use of engineered wood such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) instead of steel for the structure. The LVL wood used comes from NZ pines planted 25 years ago, significantly reducing the construction’s carbon footprint.

“I love timber,” Inger said. “It is more expensive, but it’s quicker to put up – you just clip it all together.”

Using LVL is not without its challenges, though, as project manager Bevan Morrison admitted.

“Wood’s nice to work with, but it behaves differently to steel,” he said.

For a start, the polished concrete floor had to be poured before the frame could go up and the roof go on. Then there was the problem of heavy rain falling on the laminated struts before they could be sealed and roofed over, resulting in the wood swelling and much of it having to be pulled down and reconstructed to adjust the amount of ‘give’ in the joint.

Because the wooden frame is heavier than its steel equivalent, around twice as many metal support columns are needed to support it, though Inger is confident that in the next stage of the shopping centre, he can get that number down, as they work with the new system and get to know what can work. continued next page from previous page

The walls and roof are made with Metalcraft PIR insulated panels that, together with 650mm of insulation under the slab floor, will help to make the building at least 30 per cent more energy efficient than any other branch of The Warehouse.

“It’s basically a big chilly bin in there,” Inger said.

The insulated panels are also much quicker to install than standard walls and roofing materials, taking just days instead of weeks to put up.

Inger has brought in hi-tech air-conditioning units from Europe that automatically open and close a system of dampers to maximise use of cool or warm air outside to optimise temperature and airflow.

There are banks of solar panels to power the building and a live display of how much solar energy is being generated vs power consumed will be displayed in real time on a screen in the foyer for shoppers to see. Light will be supplied by the latest low energy LED lamps, which were found to be cheaper and more efficient than using natural light panels in the ceiling.

Outside, the large carpark has been laid with concrete, since hotmix not only shows signs of wear and tear more quickly, but now has to be imported from China. Inger has also changed the standard 90 degree spaces to angled parking, which he said will be much easier for shoppers to negotiate, whether driving or pushing a trolley. There are also no kerbs to minimise trip hazards.

“It’s all pretty exciting,” he said. “This is a long-time investment, not a short-term situation.

“We tried to use as many local contractors as we can – builders, plasterers, painters, and so on – and we’ve tried to assist them to gear up so they can get what we want done.”

Inger said the design of the next stage of Kowhai Falls was almost complete and he was looking to continue the LVL build theme there.

“That will go up from the bottom end of this building right up to Woodcocks, with shops like Number 1 Shoes or Hannahs, large retailers like that, then the next stage will be up on a raised platform, with small retailers, a cafe and and outside area,” he said.