NorthBloc

NorthBloc is the latest chapter in the renewal of central Hamilton – the transformation of a tired commercial building on London Street into a high-quality asset. Now home to Fonterra, the architecturally refurbished building offers an open, contemporary workplace in a high-profile central-city location.

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Known to many Hamiltonians as the former Ministry of Works building, the property had, after decades of incremental adaptation, become burdened with layers of dated fit-out and redundant services. Stark Property led its comprehensive refurbishment and seismic strengthening, stripping the building back to its structural shell and reimagining it around a welcoming arrival, an open and flexible floor plate, generous staff amenity and significantly improved natural light.

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Great design and technical input have been at the forefront of the project. Concrete window spandrels were lowered to draw daylight deep into the floor plate and open up views to the tree canopy of the neighbouring cricket ground, while the building's distinctive external sunshades were retained and repaired. A full envelope upgrade, including double-glazing throughout, a new insulated roof and insulated wall construction sits alongside a centralised HVAC system, heat-pump hot water, new lifts and stair circulation and a comprehensive end-of-trip facilities.

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Strengthened to 100% NBS (IL2) through a targeted column-encasement solution, NorthBloc achieves the resilience of a new building while retaining the embodied value of the old — an approximately 80% reduction in upfront embodied carbon compared with building anew.

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The property was sold into the Stark Property Fund on completion in July 2026.

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