03 Magazine: March 01, 2023

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“To bring it up to modern
building code, and for it to feel
like a modern building while
keeping those historic features,
is incredible.”
$5.5million redevelopment has added apartments to a
A building long associated with Dunedin writers, readers
and academics.
Work on the University Book Shop building preserved
many of its original features while modernising the interior.
The Great King St building is owned by the Otago
University Students’ Association, which says it is a great
example of what can be done with heritage properties.
An upgrade of the bookshop on the building’s ground floor
was the first part of the project to be completed. The retail
space is now lighter and more open; the entry, complete with
new platform lift, has been moved back to its original location
in the centre of the facade.
More recently, workers finished converting the first floor –
previously used by the shop as a sale room and offices – into
six apartments.
A lightwell at the centre of the building pulls natural light
into the back of the bookshop and the first floor communal
corridor. Bedrooms and bathrooms are illuminated by
skylights and by clerestory windows, the tops of which are
5.8m above floor level.
The soaring ceilings create a spacious feel and all of the
units have 10sqm balconies, some overlooking the Otago
Museum reserve.
Mark Todd, of project managers Feldspar, said the original
light well had to be replaced and floorboards and floor joists
couldn’t be saved. But the original sarking (matchstick linings),
trusses and columns were exposed and, where possible, the
original brickwork was put on display in the living areas.
Window openings remained the same size, but the glass
was removed from those facing the street to form the
outdoor balconies.
The 18-month project also involved upgrading the fire,
ventilation and electrical systems, removing asbestos, and
insulating and strengthening the property, taking it to
100 percent of new building standards.
“There’s an entirely new structural steel portal frame, with
associated foundations. The unreinforced masonry has been
restrained on the first floor at the floor and ceiling level and
tied together using Python screws. There’s also a new floor
diaphragm at first floor level.”
OUSA chief executive Debbie Downs said the revamped
building was a “real asset for the city”.
“To bring it up to modern building code, and for it to feel
like a modern building while keeping those historic features,
is incredible.
We’ve been able to keep a heritage building alive and well
for the next 100 years while helping the housing crisis in
Dunedin and it’s a great investment for the association.”
While that investment was seen as a long-term one, the
building could be sold in the future to buy something that
benefited students more directly, she added.