Jasmax has developed a concept design for a new Plant Health and Environment Laboratory (PHEL) and Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) Greenhouse Facilities for the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) in Ōwairaka / Mount Albert. The concept provides MPI with a state-of-the-art biosecurity facility in the battle to protect the country’s natural environment and plant based primary industries, whilst encouraging growth in the horticultural sector.

As vigilance and protection are deeply embedded in the day-to-day activities of MPI, mana whenua for Ōwairaka, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, gifted the Māori concept of tūtei, a verb which translates as ​‘to keep watch, to raise the alert, and to determine strategy in response to a potential threat’. This concept is instilled throughout the proposed design, ensuring every detail contributes meaningfully to MPI’s success.

The facility has been designed to uphold the utmost levels of security and safety and to support long-term resilience, with highly adaptable and flexible spaces anticipating growth in plant-based industries nationally, and increased threat of biosecurity incursions. The design includes not only PHEL containment laboratories and PEQ greenhouses, but also space for Biosecurity Surveillance and Incursion Investigation Plant Health (BSIIPH) work. The laboratory components prioritise containment and the efficient arrangement of multiple scientific workflows occurring simultaneously.

In contrast with highly secure technical facilities, the MPI administration and workplace wing have been designed to facilitate openness, enabling collaboration and collegiality. The concept includes a warm timber structure offering a sense of welcome. A close connection to nature will extend from inside the facility to the landscape design, which includes a significant enlargement of native plant species to increase local biodiversity and enhance the mauri of the wider environment and stormwater catchment.

The MPI project is also aiming to achieve 5 Green Star Design and As Built ratings from the New Zealand Green Building Council. In line with the Green Star framework and Carbon Neutral Government Programme, the project demonstrates a commitment to significantly reducing construction carbon, also known as embodied carbon, with its mass timber structure.