Meridian Energy
Celebrating legacy, resilience and regeneration in an iconic heritage building
Meridian Energy are New Zealand’s leading provider of renewable energy - generating 30% of New Zealand’s electricity through wind farms, hydro stations and solar. As a publicly listed company and 51% Government-owned, Meridian has a responsibility to New Zealanders and the natural environment that is far beyond most organizations.
Driven by ‘doing the right things today so our planet and people can survive and thrive’, Meridian wanted their new workplace to reflect the highest standards in sustainability, wellbeing and resilience. Targeting the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most advanced sustainability accreditation, was a natural choice.
A move of necessity
Meridian has moved into the iconic Old Bank Arcade, a prominent landmark in New Zealand and a Category-1 listed heritage building. Unispace partnered with Meridian from the workplace strategy phase and undertook a building analysis to find a new space that aligned with Meridian’s vision and values. The decision to relocate was made for the safety of their people after receiving a low seismic conditions assessment for their previous building.
Meridian’s new workplace accommodates 200 people at a 0.6 sharing ratio – a reduction of 30% of their previous floorplate.
A co-creative partnership with iwi
A collaborative and meaningful partnership was established with Andre Konia, Meridian’s in-house cultural advisor, to deeply integrate Te Ao Māori principle and narratives. The floorplate zoning reflects the three pillars of Meridian’s core business – wind, water and sun and connects to the history of the land on which they operate.
Thoughtful design and construction practices
Minimising waste, using sustainable, non-toxic and prefabricated materials were key to achieving the ambitious Living Building Challenge targets:
- 95% of waste diverted from landfill
- 90% of materials with zero toxicity levels
- 50% of materials New Zealand made
- 95% of workpoints with access to views and daylight
- 100% FSC-certified timber
- 30% furniture re-use/restoration
This project presented the opportunity to work with local suppliers that put sustainable and regenerative practices at the heart of their operations. For example, Critical's benchtops, made of recycled plastic waste, avoided 2,932kg's of carbon emissions:
- Kitchen benchtop: made of 56,333 pieces of recycled soft plastics and 8,750 recycled plastic bottle caps
- End-of-trip benchtop: made of 3,465 pieces of plastic packaging, and 8m of recycled commercial fishing nets.
The unique blend of Meridian’s ambitious sustainability goals while working in a sensitive heritage environment has resulted in a rare and thoughtful workplace environment – cementing Meridian’s legacy as one of New Zealand’s most committed and sustainable organizations.
Unispace are proud to have been part of a project that has been so transformative for Meridian and their people, while also positively impacting the wider construction industry and New Zealand environment. The project was delivered within 12 months end-to-end, an incredible achievement for a project of this detail and complexity.
Client
Meridian Energy
Location
Wellington
Completion
2024
Service
Strategy
Design
Construction
Awards
2024 Best Awards, Workplace Environments, Bronze
2024 Wellington Property Council People Awards, Best Team
2024 RICS New Zealand Awards, Sustainability Project of the Year, Highly Commended
2025 Better Future Australian Design Awards, International Interior Design, Gold










Meridian Energy
Wellington, New Zealand
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