State Insurance Building
| State Insurance Tower | |
|---|---|
State Insurance Tower at 1 Willis Street
|
|
| Former names | BNZ Centre |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | Structural Expressionism |
| Location | 1 Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°17′12″S 174°46′35″E / 41.286741°S 174.776393°E |
| Construction started | 1973 |
| Completed | 1984 |
| Owner | Precinct Properties New Zealand Ltd (formerly the AMP NZ Office Trust) |
| Height | 103 m (338 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel moment frame |
| Floor count | 30 (3 below ground, 26 above) |
| Floor area | 26,892 m² (net lettable) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Stephenson & Turner Architects |
| Structural engineer | Brickell, Moss, Rankine & Hill |
The State Insurance Building is a commercial office building at 1 Willis Street in Wellington, New Zealand, formerly named the BNZ Centre. When completed in 1984, it was the tallest building in New Zealand, overtaking the 87m Quay Tower in Auckland. It is notable for its strong, square, black form, in late International Style modernism, and for a trade dispute which delayed the construction by a decade. It remained the tallest building in New Zealand until 1986, and is currently the second tallest building in Wellington after the Majestic Centre.
The building was designed in the late 1960s and BNZ (Bank of New Zealand) began purchasing land for the building in 1969. Approval to build was granted by the Town Planning Committee on June 14, 1972, after the building codes were rewritten to allow the development "out of common interest." Construction began in 1973, but construction was delayed in part by a labour demarcation dispute with the Boilermakers Trade Union who claimed the exclusive right of its members to weld the structural steel. The dispute was characteristic of the time, disrupting construction for six years and discouraged construction of steel buildings across the country. In response to the problem, the government of the day deregistered the Boilermakers Trade Union. The dispute would lead the building to be four times over budget, ultimately costing $93 million.
In 1979, the original building contract was terminated and a new contract to finish the building was signed in 1981. The complex was completed and occupied in late 1984. After the BNZ moved its head office to Auckland in 1998, State Insurance purchased the naming rights to the building, renaming it the State Insurance Tower.
This black on black building is one of the most striking office buildings in New Zealand. Wanting a “symbol of endeavour”, key members of the BNZ development team travelled with Stephenson & Turner Architects to study the best current high-rise thinking around the world, including major architectural centres of the USA, Europe and Australia.
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