The exciting secrets in the walls of Meridian’s new HQ

It’s by turning boxes of surplus brochures into a stunning feature wall that Meridian's head office shows just how sustainable – and fun - workplace design has become.

As part of Meridian’s push to have one of the most sustainable workspaces in Aotearoa, this ambitious project within Wellington’s famed Old Bank Building made extensive use of SaveBoard. This eco-friendly product has been manufactured made from hundreds, if not thousands, of recycled Meridian annual reports - transforming them into a valuable resource.

Project Manager Rebekah Peni says there were practical and environmental advantages of the approach.

"We were literally paying for storage for boxes of old annual reports, so it was a good use for those as well," she says. “I can't even remember how many boards they made, but it was a lot. Easily enough to cover our reception area and our end-of-trip facility hallway as well.”

SaveBoard is a composite board created by shredding and repurposing old documents. Traditional alternatives like drywall would require new manufacturing processes, contributing to the carbon footprint of the refurbishment project. By contrast, SaveBoard utilises existing materials, significantly reducing the need for new resources and lowering the overall environmental impact.

As a result, the walls contain some special easter eggs, with QR codes, corporate headshots and the odd logo able to be spotted by eagle-eyed visitors.

“It fitted within the entire philosophy of the Old Bank project - trying to minimise waste and reuse, recycle, repurpose materials wherever possible,” says Rebekah.

Additionally, leftover boards are being stored for future projects, including upgrades to Meridian’s other offices.

“We had some SaveBoard left over,left over which we thought we'd just hold onto it until we knew there was a project coming up where we could use it. The Twizel office is a great place for it to go - it’s going to look just as spectacular down there as it does here.”

By repurposing waste materials, the project team has reduced the building’s environmental footprint and set a benchmark for future projects. And for Rebekah, the end result is well worth the effort.

“I'd seen it multiple times behind the scenes and on drawings and plans and everything, but it’s different in real life. It is a great entrance and I do like the back-lit Meridian lighting on it. It looks really cool.”