New Zealand Opens $290M Archive Facility
Why this is here: The building is constructed on 36 base isolators, allowing it to move up to 1.3 meters horizontally during an earthquake, a response to lessons learned from the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake.
Archive New Zealand opened Te Rua, a new $290 million Wellington building, after ten years of work. The 10-level facility is described as a technologically advanced archive protection center. Te Rua is part of Te Kahu, a new heritage campus joining Archives New Zealand and the National Library.
The building boasts over 19,000 square meters of floor space and 90 kilometers of storage. It uses tightly controlled environmental conditions to preserve historical materials. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden stated the facility will preserve New Zealand’s history for future generations.
The project utilized a public-private partnership. Canadian Mutual Fund PSPIB/CPPIB Waiheke Inc. owns the building and land.
Australasian real estate assets manager Dexus manages the facility under a 25-year lease with an option to extend. Relocation of 150,000 containers of historical material is underway, but the building’s full capacity remains unknown.