Shane Coutts, Atlas group general manager, said carbon emissions were cut by replacing some cement and slag with fly ash from the Huntly power station. <\/p>\n
The western facade of the new Atlas Concrete headquarters in Auckland showcases the use of concrete in design and construction. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
Structural engineers MSC said Atlas used low-carbon GreenStone concrete mixes to cut CO2 emissions to 39%.<\/p>\n
Atlas says its GreenStone sustainable product can cut emissions by 20% to 70% compared to traditional concrete mixes.<\/p>\n
That achieves an eco-friendly footprint due to industrial recycling and low-emission manufacturing methods.<\/p>\n
The reception at the headquarters of Atlas Concrete, 11 Wairau Rd, North Shore, Auckland. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
Builder CMP Construction won joint first place in the excellence in construction category at the New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association awards last year.<\/p>\n
JWA Architecture won a NZ Institute of Architects\u2019 local Auckland\/ Northland area commercial award <\/a>for the building in June this year.<\/p>\n The Property Council shortlisted the building as a finalist in its awards too.<\/p>\n The building has been cited as a masterclass in concrete, with its curved roofs, precast fins, and high-performance glazing.<\/p>\n Walker said that making concrete was a dynamic act of mixing water, cement, and aggregate. So the architecture of the new building captured a sense of movement and transformation.<\/p>\n \u201cConcrete is revealed at its most adaptable, its most plastic, and its most expressive. This concept becomes the organising force of the building form,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n Architecture institute judges said the building \u201creimagined the industrial workplace as a civic landmark, an enduring new home for a company rooted on its site for 50 years and designed to serve the next 50\u2033.<\/p>\n Atlas is 80 years old but started elsewhere at Takapuna before moving to Wairau Rd.<\/p>\n The project celebrated concrete as both structure and craft, using fluted facades and slender fins to create a building that commands attention from a distance and rewards close inspection through light, texture and precise detailing, judges said. <\/p>\n Beyond performance, it offered generosity: an outdoor terrace and elevated roof garden that enriched daily work life. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is not merely an industrial facility, but an aspirational work of architecture,\u201d the judges said.<\/p>\n Refined industrial aesthetics with key concrete elements include two custom-formed concrete reception desks, curved concrete walls, concrete columns and polished concrete floors.<\/p>\n Exposed interior services provide both functional clarity and a modern, raw design appeal. <\/p>\n A striking glass lift shaft and skylight enhance transparency and light flow. <\/p>\n Timber feature battens on the walls and ceilings give warmth and texture, their form mirroring the skyline of the Atlas Brynderwyn quarry.<\/p>\n Graham Collie, 76, Atlas chief executive, is a son of the founder Bunny Collie.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went a bit OTT,\u201d Collie said of the headquarters.<\/p>\n He was referring to the architecture but also the big upstairs spaces which are now partly empty, developed for expansion.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it showcases who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n He told how the business started in Bracken Ave as Takapuna Carrying and Supply.<\/p>\n It was originally a distributor of wood, coal, scoria and pipes.<\/p>\n Collie can remember many quarries and concrete operations around Takapuna and said the business expanded on its site, buying a petrol station and a number of houses.<\/p>\n His father, whose real name was Melville, went into business after World War II selling sand, metal chip and shingle.<\/p>\n He chose the name Atlas to be high up in the Yellow Pages but also to use the Greek god of strength, bearer of the heavens.<\/p>\n As well as the Takapuna headquarters, Atlas has sites at Wiri, Panmure, Kume\u016b, Silverdale, Warkworth, Brynderwyn and Ruakaka. <\/p>\n \u201cConcrete is not like frozen peas,\u201d Collie says, referring to the 90-minute \u201cconcrete rule\u201d.<\/p>\n That means it must be fully unloaded or poured within that time from when water first touches the cement mix at the batch plant.<\/p>\n Having that many locations in what are now built-up areas of Auckland gave Atlas a big advantage, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTime is of the essence so you have got to be in your local area.\u201d<\/p>\n Atlas Concrete headquarters<\/p>\n 7-19 Wairau Rd, 8-20 Thornton Rd, Auckland;6059sq m site also has concrete plant on it;New three-level HQ building designed by JWA Architects;Built by CMP Construction;2008sq m building with retail showroom;Rooftop solar panels make enough electricity to run the building;Won local Auckland\/Northland area architectural award;Won New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association award;Shortlisted as a finalist for a Property Council award last year.<\/p>\nAtlas Concrete is a family owned business. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
Inside Atlas Concrete’s new headquarters in Auckland. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
A courtyard at Atlas Concrete, Auckland. Photo \/ Mark Scowen<\/p>\n
Shane Coutts of Atlas Concrete outside the award-winning company headquarters in Takapuna, Auckland. Photo \/ Anne Gibson<\/p>\n
Concrete columns appear as a form of architectural art at the new Atlas building in Auckland. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
An outdoor courtyard. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
Atlas Concrete is a family owned business. Photo \/ Jono Parker<\/p>\n
Graham Collie and Shane Coutts of Atlas Concrete in Auckland. Photo \/ Anne Gibson<\/p>\n