Auckland life sciences facility at Auckland Airport wins national industry property award

Photo credit: Simon Devitt

DHL Supply Chain’s purpose-built life sciences and healthcare facility at Auckland Airport has been named winner of the CBRE Industrial Property Award at this evening’s Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.

The award recognises the 30,000sqm facility at 15 Te Kapua Drive, developed and owned by Auckland International Airport, constructed by Macrennie Commercial Construction and designed by Williams Architects.

Located within Auckland Airport’s The Landing Business Park, the facility has been engineered for one of the most demanding parts of the logistics sector: life sciences, healthcare, controlled goods and temperature-sensitive supply chains.

Property Council New Zealand Chief Executive Leonie Freeman says the project shows how far industrial property has moved beyond the idea of a simple storage shed.

“Industrial property now sits at the centre of how modern economies function,” says Freeman.

“In this case, the building is supporting healthcare and life sciences supply chains where precision, reliability and resilience matter. It has been designed around the realities of highly regulated goods which require temperature control, strict security protocols and speed to market.”

The facility brings together temperature and humidity-controlled warehousing, secure storage for controlled drugs and dangerous goods, validation chambers, specialised co-pack and technical rooms, and seamless air-and-road connectivity through its Auckland Airport location.

Freeman says the project is a superb example of industrial development responding to increasing operational complexity.

“The best industrial projects are now deeply specialised. They need to support automation, safety, sustainability and the changing expectations of global supply chains. DHL Supply Chain’s facility brings those requirements together in a way that feels highly disciplined and commercially clear.”

The site also introduces DHL’s first goods-to-person automation system in New Zealand, designed to improve efficiency, accuracy and service levels across the operation.

Chief Judge Andy Evans says the judges were impressed by the project’s technical performance and its strong commercial logic.

“This is a facility designed around exacting operational needs. It deals with products where handling, timing and environmental control are critical. The building responds to those demands with a very high level of planning and coordination and we were truly impressed by the result.”

Evans says the project also reflects a wider shift in the industrial sector, where warehouses are becoming more technically sophisticated and more closely integrated with the people and processes inside them.

“Industrial buildings have changed significantly in recent years. The office, warehouse, automation and specialist storage areas now need to work as one system. This project does that well. It is a highly functional industrial asset, but it also demonstrates how technology and sustainability are becoming part of the same conversation,” says Evans.

DHL Supply Chain achieved a 5 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.1 Design Certified Rating, demonstrating a strong focus on sustainable design and construction alongside operational performance.

Freeman says that combination is increasingly important for industrial property.

“We’re seeing the strongest projects proving that efficiency, environmental performance, and commercial outcomes can reinforce each other. DHL Supply Chain is an excellent example of what can be achieved with an ambitious project team.”

The wider project team included Day Consulting as structural engineer, Mesh Consulting as service and mechanical engineer, Rider Levett Bucknall as quantity surveyor, RDT Pacific as project manager, Initia as geotechnical engineer and Protech Design for fire protection.

Now in its 36th year, the Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards celebrate excellence in design, innovation and investment across the built environment. This year’s Awards were held at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, which was also recognised on the night as winner of the Holmes Tourism and Leisure Property Award.

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