Defence House
Historic building in Wellington, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Departmental Building, long known as Defence House, is a historic office building in Wellington, New Zealand. For many decades the building housed the New Zealand Defence Force and, after a period of vacancy and subsequent extensive refurbishment, it is now occupied by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
| Defence House | |
|---|---|
Departmental Building, c. 1952 | |
 Interactive map of the Defence House area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | 15–21 Stout Street, Wellington |
| Coordinates | 41.28130°S 174.77695°E |
| Current tenants | Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment |
| Owner | Argosy Property Management |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Floor area | 21,000 square metres |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Mair |
| Main contractor | Fletcher Construction |
| Designated | 10 September 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1356 |
The building is classified as a Category 2 Historic Place (places of "special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") by Heritage New Zealand.[1]
History
Departmental Building
The Departmental Building was designed by Government Architect John Mair in 1935. Work started in late 1935 but was suspended in 1936 while additional land was bought[2] and new plans drawn up.[3] The foundations were completed in 1938. The main contractor was Fletcher Construction, with the steel framework erected by William Cable & Company. Construction was largely finished by 1940,[2] although fitting-out was still being done in March 1942.[4]
Defence House
In 2007, the New Zealand Defence Force moved out of the building after tenanting the building since its construction. The building was no longer fit-for-purpose, and according to the Defence Force: "Despite refurbishments the décor remained dull and dated and the building’s services were inefficient." The Defence Force flags were taken down on 23 February 2007 in a ceremony to close the building.[5]
In December 2012, it was announced that the building would be bought by Argosy Property Management for $33.2 million. A 12-year tenancy agreement was signed between Argosy and the New Zealand Government in January 2013.[6]
MBIE head office
In late 2014, about 2,000 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment employees moved from five Wellington buildings into the 15 Stout Street building.[7] The relocation had a capital budget of over $18 million, but ultimately $16 million was spent. Operational expenditure on the move was $688,000.[7] The costs involved with the refurbishment were controversial, including the almost $70,000 cost of the MBIE sign outside the building, and the $360,000 cost of office furniture ($1,800 per staff member).[8]
