A 19.5 metre tall commercial building has been approved by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) for the corner of Sir Tim Wallis Drive and Deering Street in Three Parks. 

Wānaka property investment company Roa said the four-storey mixed use commercial building (designed by architects Warren and Mahoney) will have street level retail and upper-level office space. 

QLDC’s assessment noted the building exceeds the 12-metre maximum building height for Wānaka under the Proposed District Plan, however, it considered non-compliance was justified.

“Various forms and materials on each level reduce bulk, minimising dominance effects. Strategic glazing on upper levels lightens visual impact, and as a corner site, the taller building integrates well with the surroundings,” the assessment said.

Aspiring House will be located on the corner of Sir Tim Wallis Drive and Deering Street.

“The additional height not only aids in easy location, but also contributes to the development’s status as a key landmark, providing visual interest and enriching the overall character of the environment.”

Roa CEO Mike Saegers said approval for Aspiring House was “an important step forward for the development of internationally benchmarked green commercial buildings in Wānaka”.

“The additional height enables projects employing mass timber and other forms of carbon conscious construction methodologies to be commercially feasible, given Wanaka’s climatic and seismic building design requirements,” he said.

Aspiring House is billed as the first stage of a new, mixed use commercial district for Three Parks.

The International Future Living Institute Zero Carbon Certification standard requires a project to have net zero emissions from both operational and embodied carbon.

If achieved at Aspiring House, it would be a first for the Southern Hemisphere.

“We have ambitious plans for our healthcare district at Three Parks, using the same sustainable construction methodologies and similar building heights,” Mike said.

The Wānaka App sought more information about Roa’s plans for a “healthcare district”, and a spokesperson said the company “has significant plans for a health district at Three Parks, across the road from where Aspiring House will be situated and expects to be able to share more information about it in the near future”.

IMAGE: Supplied