“Claudelands is a case study in sustainable development by a city council”
Kingstons was closely involved in the redevelopment of Claudelands, a bold move by Hamilton City Council to bring millions of dollars annually to the Waikato region in revenue from conferences and exhibitions. It is a multi-purpose city-centre venue: the conference and exhibition centre – the third largest in New Zealand – can host 1200 delegates, while the arena has a capacity of 5000 (seated) or 6000 (general admission).
Whilst it set a very visible benchmark for world-class events facilities, Claudelands also set out from the start to be quietly sustainable. Among the many criteria were reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, improved water conservation, reduction and proper separation of waste, environmentally friendly materials and a lower impact on the urban environment.
Despite very tight budgets and timelines, Claudelands was deemed a success – and furthermore it won architectural awards in the categories of Public Architecture and a Resene Colour Award.
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