Low to go as port relocates its office

As development at Port Nelson continues to unfold, the clock has run down for one long-time servant.

Making way for a new 9000m2 facility south of the Quayconnect building, the Port Nelson administration building has relocated from Low St to new offices at the former Nelmac premises on Vickerman St.

The old stevedores building on Wildman Ave, known as ‘‘the white house’’, was also relocated to the same site.

The new offices were built by Scott Construction and designed by local architect firm Jerram,Tocker and Barron. Both firms were also involved in construction of the new Plant and Food Research Centre on Akersten St, which were officially handed over last week.

Port Nelson infrastructure manager Matt McDonald was delighted with the end result, which had taken seven months to complete.

The new fit out provided open plan working areas for around 30 staff as well as nine meeting rooms. At 500m2, it had condensed space to a third of the size used at the old building.

Principal architect at JTB Simon Hall said the layout ‘‘breathed new life into an old building’’ while conserving the historic value of the port.

Key features of the design included expressing existing steel trusses and concrete beam and column structures, glazing of the saw tooth gable walls to introduce daylight deep into the floor plan, as well as use of historic port photos as a feature on partition glazing.

It also provided opportunities to seismic strengthen the building.

While the new offices and development represented further progress for the port, it meant the end of the line for the Low St building, a familiar waterfront fixture for more than half a century.

Built in 1963 as a single storey building for Transport Nelson Limited, a second level was added in the early 1970s as the trucking firm’s operations grew. Port Nelson moved in during the 1990s.

Demolition of the Low Street building was to begin on Wednesday, although according to McDonald, the process would be a low-key undertaking.

‘‘There’s no dynamite anymore, unfortunately – it tends to be more of a deconstruction,’’ he said.

With resource consent granted and building consent lodged, site works on the new warehouse are expected to begin in June.