Press Hall whets judges’ appetite
Willis St’s new food court, Press Hall, has taken out the supreme prize at the Property Council’s Wellington awards.
The Property Council Wellington Property People Awards recognised seven category winners and two highly commended entrants at Te Papa on October 11.
Head judge Patricia Green said: ‘‘We tend not to make enough noise about our achievements in Wellington and these awards are the chance to highlight all the wonderful work being done.’’
The top award, the Greenwood Roche Supreme Award, went to Press Hall at 80 Willis St, and its developers McKee Fehl.
‘‘What stood out for the judges was the ability of McKee Fehl to repurpose and modernise the site – the end result is an iconic development that adds vibrancy to Wellington but also respects the heritage of the original building,’’ Green said.
The development provides a home to 12 eateries. A two-storey building at 78 Willis St was demolished to make way for the laneway and courtyard area that leads to the five-storey Intergen building, which was originally the press hall for The Evening Post.
The laneway and courtyard are part of a $10 million redevelopment of the 85-year-old Community House, which began in late 2015.
Wellington City Council chief executive Kevin Lavery, who sits on the executive team of the Wellington Property Council branch, also won a leadership award at the event.
Other winners included: Matt Cowen, a project manager at The Building Intelligence Group, who won the Beca Young Achiever Award; Matt Dorn and Chetan Jeram, who won for their work as part of Hawkins’ Te Papa art gallery team; developer Ian Cassels, who won the Judges’ Choice Award; and the McGuinness family, who won the Ortus Long Service Award.