Sustainability Principles Evident In New Mitre 10 Mega Wanaka Build

Work is progressing at pace on the new Mitre 10 MEGA Wanaka store at Three Parks business centre. The roof is now on, complete with a 900m2 100kva photovoltaic solar array that will help power the store and two electric vehicle charging stations, just one of the future-focused sustainable technologies integrated into the store’s design.

“We wanted to create a resilient and enduring building that had a light touch on the local Wanaka environment, one which demonstrates innovation and sustainability in both the construction materials and technologies that operate the building,” says Martin Dippie, who is Chairman of Mitre 10 (New Zealand) Ltd and co-owner of Mitre 10 MEGA Wanaka with his brother Allan Dippie.

Energy Efficiency

The solar array is grid-tied, which means any surplus generation is exported back into the national grid. Coupled with LED smart lighting technology throughout and automatic and dimmable lighting controls to retail spaces, it provides for a sustainable and environmentally-sound solution.

The internal design of the store makes extensive use of cross laminated timber (CLT) in the mezzanine office areas and café. In addition to excellent thermal, seismic and noise ratings, a key benefit of using CLT is carbon sequestration, with the timber acting as a carbon store.

Thermal resilience

High underneath the slip roof, smart automatic-opening windows will provide sustainable and energy-efficient passive ventilation, opening and closing automatically depending on wind direction and interior temperature. In the hot dry summer climate, evaporative cooling units will cool outdoor air by evaporating water into it and circulating it around the store, allowing air conditioning units to operate in economiser (free) mode most of the time.

The main retail hall is clad and roofed with Kingspan PIR core fire resistant panels that have an R5 insulation rating, which will further reduce the need for heating and cooling. The goal is to be off the national grid for 50% of the year, subject to seasonality and available sunlight hours.

The structure has been designed to accommodate Wanaka’s proximity to the Alpine Fault. The building is a hybrid, with a traditional steel and tilt-panel walls, post-tensioned concrete floor and mass timber construction interior fitout.

The multimillion-dollar Mitre 10 MEGA Wanaka store will be completed and ready to welcome customers on schedule late November this year.

Operational Sustainability

The focus on sustainability will continue once construction is complete and Mitre 10 MEGA Wanaka opens for business. An in-store sustainability team will be charged with reducing the impact of operations ongoing through re-use and recycling programmes and a focus on local waste and manufacturing streams.

By the numbers:

- 28,000m2 total site area

- 9,000m2 total store floor area

- 4,870m2 retail area

- 3,900m2 garden centre area

- 10,000m2 (1ha) trade and timber yard

- 220 car parks

- Columbus Café and playground

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