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The company charged with project managing remedial work on the Nautilus has not given up hope of being able to use Orewa Library car park as a base – an option that it says will cause the least disruption to the public and businesses.
Prendos NZ applied for exclusive use of the library car park at the base of the 12-storey Nautilus to store materials, locate portaloos and enable workers to hoist building materials to the podium using a hoist.
A ground level site is needed as there is no access from the lower car parks of the building to the podium, other than to go through two residential lifts and corridors. The building materials that need to be delivered to the areas of work include large window units, prefabricated exterior cladding, tiles, structural steel and screed. Prendos NZ advised Council that the only viable method of getting the materials there is to hoist them from ground level.
Work is expected to begin in the first half of next year and take around two years.
The Hibiscus & Bays Local Board turned down the application for exclusive use of the car park recently (HM September 2), for reasons that include noise levels over an extended period of time; removal of car parking for library customers and staff (leading to car parking pressure within the area); heavy vehicles using the road crossing, and endangerment of pedestrians and library customers.
However, architect and Prendos director Natasha Cockerell says they will approach the board again “with a more amenable proposal”.
She says the aim of using the car park is to minimise disruption to the community. She says noise and dust affects should be minor, but access in and around the Nautilus will be an issue. All the cladding and window joinery has to be removed and replaced – this will be done in stages, a few apartments at a time.
The alternative to using the car park is to seek that all or part of Keith Morris Lane be closed off – an option that Natasha describes as “less than ideal” – not only would it cost more, and require traffic management plans but it would also have an impact on many businesses.
A report prepared for the local board by Council’s property coordinator Paul Durling states that the northern end of Keith Morris Lane could potentially be utilised as a secure area to store and hoist building materials. Approximately 23 car parks along the lane would be required for this purpose.
“The advantage of using Keith Morris Lane is that there are no entrances to any private businesses at the northern end of the lane, however the side of the Radiology Laboratory is close to the road. Four other businesses have their entrances at the southern end of Keith Morris Lane, although commercial protective hoarding could be used to help protect them from noise and dust. Shipping containers are now used effectively for this very purpose,” the report says.
Funding of around $25 million for repairs to the Nautilus, which has major structural issues including weathertightness, was obtained via a protracted case in the High Court that was settled earlier this year.
