Firm moving ahead despite tough times

Creative Space has opened a substantial new office in Tauranga CBD marking a major leap forward for the company, says director Andre Laurent. The new office, which is around four times the size of the previous premises, is the result of company growth.

“The recession has actually been a blessing in disguise for us. It’s made us more proactive in looking for work. We’ve been taken out of our comfort zone and have reaped the benefits,” says Laurent. The company is also looking to further raise levels of professionalism and will employ a new technical manager and draughting intern.

“The technical manager will help us to offer increased levels of service in an area that is often neglected in the industry.  “This position will look closely at the information produced for a build to give added input on buildability, sequencing and construction methods to ensure the smoothest construction process possible.
“It will really take our product and the business to the next level.”

Creative Space focuses on residential new builds, renovations and additions as well as being a weather-tightness specialist. The company employs seven staff in total.  It also works closely with a number of leading product suppliers such as Dulux, Specialized, Sto, Steel and Tube, EcoTech and NZ Windows. The company launched its Weathertite branding a year ago and Laurent says that developing a division to focus exclusively on leaky home repairs has also aided the architectural side of the business.

“We have seen what products and processes have failed in leaky homes. Obviously this information and the knowledge we have gained is of huge benefit to our architectural clients,” he says. Laurent says remedial work is “extremely complicated” and requires a greater under-standing of performance over and above the acceptable solutions found in the New Zealand Building code. 

“There is not enough information or variations of the details provided to use them on a project without substantial adjustments or further considered design. “We are now seeing more and more secondary failures from supposedly remediated buildings. “This often occurs when designers use the Weathertight Homes Resolutions Service Assessments as road maps.

“These reports are only indicative of one person’s point of view from a limited time investigating on site. They are a great start but by no means the only information that should be taken into consideration. “It is because of this that we always start our work with a registered building surveyor for further assessment of ‘damage’ and ‘cause’,” he says.

“This allows us to effectively confirm or broaden a scope of work based on actual findings and additional data before we find solutions to the identified issues.  A qualified architectural designer, Laurent started Creative Space in 2003 after ten years’ experience as a builder.  “Designers need to demonstrate to builders that they are thinking practically and at times outside the box. We can do this by raising the bar and providing helpful information that they would not normally find.

“This builds enough respect for the tradesmen to pick up the phone and call us when they come across potential issues. “I really started Creative Space to bridge the gap between builders on site and designers in the office.” Creative Space has also recently opened an office in Cambridge to complement its existing company headquarters at The Lakes in Tauriko, Tauranga.

Laurent, who originally hails from Cambridge, says he saw the opportunity to enter a new market. “We have very good systems and processes in our business and are looking to service a greater number of clients with these. “We will look at opening branches in other locations over time. We are seeking to establish new relationships to keep building on the growth in the last two years.”