Premium Acoustic Insulation for NZME Office

NZME is an amalgamation of APN and Radio Network – both of which were formerly located in uninspiring Central Auckland buildings. Their merger was the ideal opportunity to upscale, upgrade, and create a space to grow in the cut-throat world of modern media. Newsrooms are noisy places, so it made sense for NZME to choose a premium acoustic product designed to cut down the transmission of sound in their large, open workspace.

GreenStuf® Acoustic Absorption Blanket (AAB) was the perfect choice; designed for minimising noise in buildings such as theatres, studios, and auditoriums, it was well suited for the communal spaces and newsrooms at NZME Central. Visual appeal was also a key concern, as the ceiling space is seen by over 850 staff and innumerable visitors.

Elite Insulation were tasked with installing GreenStuf AAB in the NZME building. Owner-operator David Neilson said that black and white GreenStuf AAB was chosen by Alaska, the commercial interior fit-out company, for the areas of the building that didn’t have suspended ceilings.

"They wanted everything to be up to scratch. The were blown away by how well GreenStuf AAB worked in that space.”

Marcel Herbke

Black GreenStuf AAB was used in the offices, with white GreenStuf AAB creating a lighter aesthetic on the ceilings of the reception area, café, and open-plan spaces.

GreenStuf AAB’s strong but subtle appearance lends itself to the post-industrial aesthetic of the building; interspersed with exposed beams to give the space a contemporary, urban appeal.

GreenStuf Account Marcel Herbke worked with the architects on the project and says the client was thrilled with the results.

“Telco were nervous about how the noise would be at launch party for NZME Central," explains Herbke.

"They wanted everything to be up to scratch. The were blown away by how well GreenStuf AAB worked in that space.”

He says that NZME were also delighted by how cost-effective the product turned out to be, and how seamlessly it worked with the interior aesthetic of the space.

The new office space on Victoria St has since proven an architectural success, with NZME Central winning “best of the best” at the NZ Property Council 2016 awards.