Mount Maunganui Surf Club is being rebuilt into a modern facility that blends in well with the natural environment, says Brunel Construction director Kevin Hughes.
Brunel Construction was selected to tender for the design-and-build project so has been involved in the project from the outset including input at early design stage to ensure the project not only delivered aesthetically but also practically.
Designed by a local architect engaged by Brunel and built entirely by local tradespeople, the new building is streamlined and sophisticated but also sympathetic to the natural landscape with cedar cladding elements, extensive use of glass and a monopitch roofline.
Now the project is approximately halfway through with the basement structure completed along with the structural steel and precast concrete for the building.
Brunel Construction is presently working on the timber walls and floors. The project is due for completion in December and the client will move into the basement level before the levels above are finished.
Kevin says it has been necessary to work around the lifeguards’ schedule and the peak season when their services are most required on the beach.
Tauranga-based Brunel Construction was started in 2007 by current owners – Kevin, Paul Anning, David Woods and Danny Gibson – to serve clients in the commercial, education, retail and health sectors within the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
Paul worked in the senior management team within the Tauranga office of a major national for five years, building relationships with the best construction consultants, subcontractors, suppliers and personnel in the region.
Before joining Brunel Construction, Kevin worked for a major national contractor, primarily working in the Bay of Plenty, for more than ten years. Both David and Danny also bring decades of building expertise to the mix.
Because Brunel Construction’s senior management team are the directors and shareholders of their company, their different yet complementary strengths and areas of expertise allow them to contribute in line with their equal stake in the company, says Kevin.
He says that one major aspect which sets Brunel Construction apart, is that it employs all its own staff including carpenters, site managers, quantity surveyors and contracts managers.
Kevin says this is just one factor that enables the company to combine the best aspects which large and small building companies offer.
“The strengths of larger contractors is their professionalism, systems and depth of expertise,” he says. “However with this, the personal approach and the teamwork of directly employing the tradesmen that carry out the work can be lost.
The new Mount Maunganui Surf Club building is streamlined and sophisticated but also sympathetic to the natural landscape with cedar cladding elements, extensive use of glass and a monopitch roofline.
“Brunel successfully brings together the attributes of big company experience while maintaining personal involvement through a hands on approach and directly employing all their own staff and tradesmen,” he explains.
Kevin says that Brunel Construction’s core values – respectful, reliable and resourceful – are at the heart of everything it does, which has resulted in many loyal long-term clients.
The market remains busy in Tauranga for the company with Brunel Construction presently working on a childcare centres projects for Above and Beyond and an office and retail centre in Bethlehem.
Kevin says that the successful completion of the Mt Maunganui Surf Club project will show once again the ability of Brunel Construction to deliver high quality visually striking buildings as well as work with clients to lessen impact on their operations. It is a good example of the simple solutions the company seeks to supply to clients.
“We offer our customers an easy one-stop shop for their building project from beginning to end. This gives certainty over pricing and no hassle,” says Kevin.
“We have a philosophy at Brunel that there are no problems, just solutions. “We work closely with our clients and if something crops up during a project we treat it as a challenge.
“We have a very skilled team of experienced staff who can offer our clients a fountain of knowledge across all aspects of building.”
This article was brought to you in association with the following businesses…
Brunel Construction has been involved in the project from the outset including input at early design stage.
