Vinery Lane, Whangarei
A sustainable office transformation grounded in industrial character and adaptive reuse.
The Brief
Vinery Lane began life in the 1960s as a utilitarian shed for the Livestock Improvement Corporation. While the building had great bones, it had fallen into disrepair — a leaking roof, mismatched air-conditioning units, and dated finishes told the story of a space past its prime.
Spaceworks was engaged early to explore its potential. The brief was to unlock the raw charm of the structure, maximise natural light, and create an inspiring, flexible workspace with sustainability at its core.
The Outcome
The result is a bold and highly functional industrial-style office space that stays true to its heritage while looking firmly to the future.
Original elements such as the steel roof trusses were retained and became central to the architectural language. The project evolved to include seismic strengthening, a full roof replacement, and extensive steelwork — all while preserving the building’s gritty authenticity.
Interior finishes were purposefully honest: bagged brickwork, exposed structural elements, and repurposed vintage lighting from Bali add richness and texture.
What started as a design exploration became a full-circle transformation that champions circularity, material reuse, and smart space planning.
Sustainability Wins
This project exemplifies Spaceworks’ commitment to rethinking waste. Instead of demolition waste heading to landfill, the team took a thoughtful, community-focused approach to reuse and redistribution:
- 4.5 tonnes of ceiling tiles donated to tiny home builds and music studios
- 20m-³ of wool insulation repurposed by an iwi group
- Over 400kg of copper and 130kg of wiring recycled
- Nearly 3 tonnes of roofing iron recovered
- 14 heavy rimu doors reused in renovations across Te Tai Tokerau
- 7,000 bricks recycled, with 2,500 used in the BNZ redevelopment in Birkenhead
- 250 metres of Oregon beams gifted to a Matakana boat builder
- Old steel trusses now part of a Maungaturoto barn project
- Timber and doors distributed to whānau housing projects in Matawaia, Te Hapua, and Kaikohe
- Each outcome reflects a deliberate, values-driven approach to resource management — turning waste into opportunity and strengthening community connections.
The Spaceworks Touch
Although Spaceworks’ primary involvement was in the early design and planning phase, the project reflects our design values: purposeful transformation, honest materials, and sustainability embedded from the start.
Vinery Lane is now a highly adaptable office space filled with light, character, and intention — a blueprint for sustainable adaptive reuse.
Want to transform your workspace?
Get in touch with the Spaceworks team to explore how we can help you reimagine your space with purpose.
Contact Lizzi on 021 392 9999
“It’s been really satisfying to have the luxury of time and space to sort, store, and recycle or reuse demolition waste. It’s been good for the wairua, and good for the budget too.” – Pete Gregory –
