Public Trust Building

Building on the success of 15 Stout Street, McKee Fehl transformed another iconic heritage site, The Public Trust Building, located on the corner of Lambton Quay and Stout street.

Built in 1909, The Public Trust is registered Category 1 with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Its unique and original Edwardian Baroque architectural styling makes it an important building for the people of Wellington.

Mindful of preserving this heritage, McKee Fehl purchased the building in 2014 and achieved what others believed impossible. Extensive strengthening and restoration works were carried out with the utmost care and attention to create a high-quality, efficient, sustainable and modern office space tenanted to the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. McKee Fehl is currently undertaking further efforts to transform the basement into a sophisticated entertainment space.

Through a phased construction approach, McKee Fehl undertook multiple upgrade and restoration works:

• Added structural strengthening including shear walls, floor diaphragms and masonry tie-backs to upgrade the structure to new building code.
• Restored the iconic exterior façade of the building by repairing the highly coveted and irreplaceable Tonga Bay stone.
• Integrated original features including sloping slate roof, copper dome and dormer windows into base build and added to modern office fit-out.

Upon completion of the 2015 seismic strengthening and restoration, Managing Director, Maurice Clark was awarded the “Ath” Cup by the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

McKee Fehl is currently refurbishing the ground floor and basement at Public Trust to create a dedicated and elegant Grand Hall entertainment space, including modern facilities and a professional catering kitchen. BIM plays an integral role in this development as the McKee Fehl team utilises high quality 3D visualisations on a daily basis to unlock complex solutions and fast track project developments.