A green building for the roaring forties

This paper looks at the design and construction in 2006/2007 of a ‘green’ office building in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington lies at 42 degrees South of the equator, in a region known as the ‘Roaring Forties’ due to the constant winds, making it an ideal situation for wind farms. While the temperature range in the city is moderate, the strong wind has severe climatic effects. Studio Pacific Architecture are the architects of the Meridian building on Site 7 at Kumutoto, on the waterfront in Wellington, which aims to be one of the greenest buildings in New Zealand upon completion in 2007. Innovative engineering has focused on designing a thoroughly modern building that is highly energy efficient and site specific. The authors are part of the design team of this landmark New Zealand building.