Lakewood Plaza

A major water leak on Level 11 flowed down through the apartments below it. In total, 12 floors were affected, along with the lift shafts, stairwells and basement.

Reinstatement meant a full strip-out and rebuild of more than 50 apartments. Floor coverings were replaced throughout the building, and new plasterboard went into the stairwells, lift shafts, hallways and affected units.

The building stayed occupied throughout. We staged the work floor by floor to keep residents safe and protect rental income. Programme, access and sequencing were agreed with the body corporate manager, insurers and loss adjusters to keep disruption low and return the building to full service.

Lakewood Plaza is a 15-storey apartment building in Manukau with a ground-floor commercial tenancy and two basement levels. A major water leak on Level 11 affected 12 floors in total, as well as both basements.

Saturated plasterboard linings and floor coverings had to be stripped out of apartments, corridors, stairwells and lift shafts. Removing them exposed passive fire non-compliances throughout the building. We managed remedial works to bring the fire separations, penetrations and service interfaces into compliance with the NZ Building Code.

The building stayed occupied throughout. We staged the work so affected apartments were vacated temporarily, then reinstated and handed back as each was completed. This kept disruption to residents to a minimum.

The internal refurbishment covered a complete rebuild of more than 50 apartments. Common areas across all 12 affected floors were also refurbished, including the stairwells, lift shafts and basement.

Each affected apartment was stripped back and rebuilt with new bathrooms, kitchens and laundries, linings, floor finishes, fittings and services. In the common areas, new plasterboard went into the hallways, stairwells and lift shafts, and floor coverings were replaced throughout for a consistent standard.

The building stayed in use while we worked. Staging the refurbishment floor by floor kept residents safe and allowed occupation to continue where possible. We coordinated programme, access and sequencing with the body corporate manager and consultants, returning each area to service as it was completed.