At Auckland Airport’s The Landing Business Park, DHL’s new life sciences and healthcare facility sets a high bar for connectivity and sustainability. The project won Excellence and Best in Category in the CBRE Industrial Property Award category at the 2026 Property Industry Awards.
DHL’s new purpose-built life sciences and healthcare facility at Auckland Airport’s The Landing Business Park offers strategic connectivity for customers via both air and road transport links. The 30,000sqm development has been specifically designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the life sciences and healthcare sector, featuring temperature- and humidity-controlled warehousing, secure storage for controlled drugs and dangerous goods, validation chambers and specialised co-pack and technical rooms. The facility houses DHL’s first New Zealand-based goods-to-person automation system, ensuring high levels of efficiency, accuracy and customer service.
Positioned on a highly visible site at Auckland Airport’s The Landing Business Park, the building houses DHL’s first New Zealand-based goods-to-person automation system.
Positioned on a highly visible site with significant frontage, it’s a landmark workplace in keeping with The Landing Business Park. The building successfully balances design excellence, flexibility and cost discipline. Delivered on programme and within budget, it utilises standard construction techniques in a highly considered way, demonstrating that innovation can be achieved through intelligent integration rather than complexity. Early engagement of the structural engineer enabled an exceptionally efficient structural solution for both office and warehouse, and simple, robust forms enabled a cost-effective construction. Time pressures were addressed through the strategic use of prefinished materials and streamlined detailing. All building services were designed with flexibility and additional capacity to accommodate future growth. The office element forms a strong architectural statement at the corner, simultaneously addressing the street, screening the warehouse and mitigating northern solar gain to enhance occupant comfort and privacy. Massing responds to site contours and northern orientation, reinforcing place-making over mere building delivery. Profiled metal cladding, textured concrete, aluminium glazing systems and structural steel create a refined yet enduring material selection that prioritised ease of installation. Internally, durable finishes such as low-e glazing, honed concrete, carpet tiles and exposed soffits reinforce a contemporary aesthetic.
Making a positive contribution to its industrial precinct, the development elevates design quality while enhancing safety and activation through passive surveillance and strong engagement with the public realm. DHL, who have a long-standing and valued partnership with Auckland Airport, report that the new facility is a great example of what can be achieved when two experienced teams work well together. The location at The Landing is a strategic win for DHL, offering excellent connectivity, a strong logistics business hub, and is a step forward in terms of efficiency and capability.
Auckland Airport’s commitment to high-performance buildings underpinned the ambition to maximise sustainability outcomes, achieving a 5 Star Green Star Design and As Built rating. This not only reduces environmental impact but also supports tenant wellbeing and enables current and future tenants to meet their own carbon-reduction targets. Operational energy modelling confirms a 77 per cent reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions and a 53 per cent reduction in potable water consumption compared with a standard practice baseline building. Construction-phase sustainability was prioritised, with more than 90 per cent of waste diverted from landfill.
The project was driven by a clear vision to deliver a functional building of enduring quality and sustainability for Auckland Airport and DHL.
The building is designed with efficient services coordination, accessible plant areas, comprehensive metering and monitoring systems, and an operational waste-management strategy to actively measure and manage Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions throughout its lifecycle. The project also achieved an As Built v1.1 Design Certified Rating, recognising excellence in environmentally responsible construction and design.
15 Te Kapua Drive is a functional, adaptable and future-ready facility that both developer and occupier are proud of.
DHL SUPPLY CHAIN (DHL)
15 Te Kapua Drive, Māngere, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
OWNER AUCKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
DEVELOPER AUCKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CONSTRUCTION MACRENNIE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
ARCHITECT WILLIAMS ARCHITECTS
SERVICE ENGINEER MESH CONSULTING
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER DAY CONSULTING
MECHANICAL ENGINEER MESH CONSULTING
QUANTITY SURVEYOR RIDER LEVETT BUCKNALL
PROJECT MANAGER RDT PACIFIC
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER INITIA
FIRE PROTECTION PROTECH DESIGN
Positioned on a highly visible site at Auckland Airport’s The Landing Business Park, the building houses DHL’s first New Zealand-based goods-to-person automation system.