South British House - 35 Grey Street, Tauranga

Built in 1978, South British House was, and still is, one of Tauranga's tallest buildings, with sweeping views across the city and harbour.

It has been occupied by some of its most prominent professional firms including Sharp Tudhope, KPMG, Babbage, and NZI.

In recent years the building sat empty after being incorrectly classified as 22% of the new building standard (NBS) and "earthquake prone" in a cursory report.

A new team of structural and geo-technical engineers from Beca, one of NZ's largest professional services consultancies, has re-examined the building and soil conditions for its new, family-owned investors.

The building has been re-classified as 55% NBS in a detailed report, and will soon be upgraded to 90% NBS with the addition of dozens of new piles supporting the existing piling system.

At the same time, the building will be largely rebuilt into a new, modern office block, including new curtain wall glazing systems, lifts, air-conditioning, modern offices and beautiful tiled bathrooms.

Follow this page to see progress, get updates on any disruptive work we’re doing (especially if you work in the area: any complaints or constructive criticism to Steve please on 07-834 3348), or find office space that might suit you or your firm.