Waterloo Fire Station Apartments
Category
Heritage / Restoration
Re-purposing of the Lower Hutt ex-Fire Station into 14 new stylish apartments
Proud 2024 winners!
Summary of the project
The Waterloo Fire Station was originally built in 1955 and had been used for this purpose from then up to 2007. At the time of the build, the fire station was recognised for its strong architectural design and was a distinctive building and feature in central Lower Hutt. In 2010 the building was safeguarded from demolition by Heritage New Zealand, where it was rated as a Category 1 Heritage building.
In 2015, the property developer Mike Friday purchased the run down building (under the entity of FH – Developments), as he had a vision to transform this ex-fire station into 14 high spec apartments. This not only meet the objective of preserving this historical building, but also provided a vision for using this majestic building in a modern manner, that met the region’s increasing need for medium density housing.
The tasks for transforming the ex-fire station into multi-unit housing, were both extensive in nature, and required meticulous attention to detail.
The construction and restoration work included:
- Seismic and structural strengthening to the entire building.
- Demolishing the extensive existing concrete floor and replacing it with a new solid floor.
- Installation of new steel windows on all exterior walls.
- Full internal refurbishment and strengthening, to create 14 individual apartments, comprising modern 2 bedroom units and larger 3 bedroom penthouses.
- Refurbishing two wings and adding a new balcony section.
- The redesign and refurbishment of each created apartment.
- Installation of insulation, fixtures and fittings to meet current building code standards.
- Exterior cladding upgraded and finished using quality solid plaster
The result: One exceptionally restored historical building, transformed into 14 modern apartments, that were designed and built to reflect the many features of this Category 1 Heritage building.
Project Partners
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- Property Owner: FH Group – Developments
- Engineer: Cook Costello
- Architect/Designer: Design Network