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Work is set to start next month on a sleek new three level office building at the city end of Papanui Rd, on the site that was once the unlikely home of an upmarket car yard.

The high profile property, at 12 Papanui Rd on the corner of Derby St, housed Paul Chaney Motors for 20 years from 1982, and in more recent years another dealership.

Now Chaney and his wife, Dianne, have steered in a different direction with the imminent development of the 1804m2 site into an attractive three level retail and office block. Construction is scheduled for completion late next year.

The prestigious building has five ground floor retail tenancies, all with frameless glass, ranging in size from 66m2 to 117m2. The corner tenancy has been designed for an upmarket café to service the building and surrounding neighbourhood.

First floor office space comprises 522m2 and the second level 517m2. Both have sliding doors to balconies. Generous parking includes 18 basement and 32 uncovered car parks.

Acutely conscious of the surrounding residential neighbourhood, Chaney and architect Simon Elvidge of MAP Architects, have worked hard to ensure the new building is compatible with its adjacent environment.

“We were very focused on having a building that looked good. I am always aware of the importance of appearance for people buying a product – whether it’s a car or leasing space in a building. I wanted something that was smart and modern but timeless. The location of the property is really an extension of Merivale in one direction and Victoria St in another so we needed to ensure we produced a high calibre building.

“A lot of building activity has been over in the south west side of town, but for a prestigious tenant this is a superb location in the north west on the city fringe, especially with Hagley Park on the doorstep.”

Chaney has built his home previously, and refurbished another local investment - Gloucester Arcade - but this is his first commercial build.

A proponent of comprehensive research and meticulous attention to detail, Chaney has spent two years doing his homework and fine-tuning plans.

“It’s certainly been a new experience and far more complex than building a house. Like anything, though, you have to know your market. You have to be able to compete with what’s on the market.”

Helping the couple in that process have been leasing specialists Sally Ryan (office) and Nick Doig (retail), of Colliers International.

““So many tenants have gone to temporary space – which was absolutely necessary at the time and those amenities have served them very well indeed. But now they’re becoming increasingly impatient to make a move into modern permanent facilities, built with their requirements in mind.

”The detail that has gone into these plans illustrates the careful consideration which landlords are giving to new builds to meet tenant requirements. Tenants are very clear on what they are looking for, especially with an almost blank canvas in front of them. Factors such as natural light, parking, landscaping, and proximity to infrastructure are particularly important because of the often cramped conditions in which they have been operating since last February.”

Green features are also important, and the Chaneys have incorporated many into 12 Papanui Rd including electrical daylight harvesting on lighting to save power, 20% additional fresh air intake into the offices, with heat exchange power saving. Bike stands are both under cover and open.

The building is engineered to new building code standards, featuring steel frames and lightweight concrete panels, and includes fire sprinklers.

Landscaping by Nick Rouse has a residential flavour.

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