A $20 million revitalisation of a landmark Auckland office tower - now renamed Shortland & Fort - has attracted a number of major organisations to take space in the premium grade building, which now opens up more effectively onto Fort St, Britomart and Commercial Bay areas.
Some 1920sq m - the equivalent of a full floor - has been leased to leading New Zealand law firm Tompkins Wake and business advisers and chartered accountants Walker Wayland.
Tompkins Wake will move from its current premises on level 11 of the AIG Building at 41 Shortland St, creating space for growth in higher quality offices at Shortland & Fort.
A further 1.5 floors (1300sq m) are under contract to an international professional services firm.
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The new leases mean that 50 per cent of the available space in Shortland & Fort, which is owned by German global real estate investor Deka Immobilien, has been taken up this year.
The remaining space is being marketed to prospective tenants by exclusive agents Matt Hockey and Charlie Bott of CBRE NZ, following a major refurbishment programme for the building initiated by Deka, which included:
-Creating a stylish new entrance on Fort St, with three new high-speed lifts to replace the previous two lifts. This complex task involved purchasing and then converting a ground-floor unit on Fort St.
-Upgrading the Shortland St lobby, including the Ara Eatery café, outdoor deck and business centre areas, creating stylish new spaces that include meeting rooms, an updated gym and new end-of-trip facilities.
-Renaming the building Shortland & Fort to emphasise the new dual access nature of the building.
Matt Hockey, director of advisory and transaction services –office at CBRE, says that the refurbishment, which was completed in July, has made the building significantly more attractive to occupiers for two core reasons.
“Auckland’s CBD has evolved, and the Shortland & Fort building has with it. Fort St has become an increasingly desirable shared-space street, with a growing number of cafes and restaurants. It therefore became important to open up the building to Fort St, particularly with a Britomart train station entrance only just over 160m from the new Shortland & Fort entrance.
“It is also certain this building and location will only attract more businesses ahead of the City Rail Link opening, as more and more people and organisations realise how it has improved in terms of commuter convenience, the Fort St offering, and the sharp deals being offered by the landlord.
“The building has always had stellar views of the Waitemata Harbour. Now it has added convenience and amenity as it links Shortland St to the doorstep of Britomart, and it is working much harder for tenants as it moves into a new era.”
Associate director Charlie Bott says that naming rights and space in the building are still available.
“Shortland & Fort is well positioned to suit occupiers of a wide range of sizes, with up to 3250sq m of contiguous space available in highly-efficient 1300sq m central-core floor plates, and fitted suites of 250-400sq m ready for occupation at short notice.
“Naming rights for the building are also still available. The opportunity exists for the right organisation to put its brand on the building as part of the Auckland CBD skyline, as people rightly look again at this superb building.”
- Article supplied by CBRE
