The refurbished B201 Building for the University of Auckland is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most sustainable developments and a world-leading exemplar of low carbon design. The project has transformed a 50-year-old building that had reached end-of-life and was slated for demolition, into a state-of-the-art academic environment, ready for another 50 years of use. The design provides a new gateway into the City Campus, with a spectacular timber-roofed atrium opening onto Symonds Street.

Adaptive reuse and low carbon design strategies have resulted in B201 emitting half the embodied carbon and requiring only a third the average energy of an equivalent new building. This performance led to the project receiving 6 Green Stars for Design and earning the most points awarded (93 out of 100) to any building from the New Zealand Green Building Council to date, categorising it as ​‘world leading’. At 250kgCO2e/​m2, the project meets the ambitious LETI (Low Energy Transformation Initiative) 2030 design target of 300kgCO2/​m2 for upfront carbon emissions and achieves less than one third of LETI’s estimated new build average. Lifecycle carbon data will continue to be measured, with the anticipation that B201 will meet Jasmax’s lifecycle embodied carbon target once as-built results are internationally verified. 

Repurposing the existing structure reduced the length of construction by one year, accruing cost savings of 25% when compared to replacement. Providing a state-of-the-art home for the faculties of Education and Social Work, Arts, and Creative Arts and Industries, B201 provides a pathway to generating substantial cost savings whilst meeting world-leading sustainability goals.

Key strategic decisions to reduce carbon included replacement of the original heavyweight concrete cladding with lightweight, high-performing curtain walling largely made from recycled aluminium. This significantly reduced the load on the existing structure and extended its functional life for a further 50 years. The thermally efficient cladding also minimises heat gain through optimal glazing-to-wall ratios, high-performance glass and industry-leading passive house air-tightness design principles, enabling an ​‘ultra-low energy’ mechanical ventilation system.