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Key Challenge: Delivering world-class workplace performance and sustainability in a Category 1-listed heritage building.
Key dbsorb Solution: VOC-safe, fully reusable acoustic linings designed for disassembly, meeting strict Living Building Challenge requirements.
Sustainability Features: Zero-glue, ultra-low VOC, made with FSC-certified timber, designed for circularity and material recovery.
A world-leading green office in a heritage shell
Meridian Energy’s new Wellington headquarters is not just another office fit-out. Inside the ornate walls of the Old Bank Arcade – a 19th-century Category 1 heritage building – a modern workplace has been created that’s targeting full Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification, one of the toughest sustainability standards in the world.
This wasn’t about replacing the old with the new. It was about refurbishing and reimagining – protecting the building’s character while dramatically improving its performance. By avoiding demolition, the project preserved the embodied carbon stored in the existing structure, proving that heritage buildings can be future-fit without erasing their past.
dbsorb's role in a circular construction model
dbsorb supplied two acoustic systems tailored to the project’s sustainability-first brief:
- XFrame wall system acoustic linings | a regenerative, demountable framing solution perfectly aligned with circular design principles.
- Clip-fixed acoustic panels for non-XFrame walls | designed for easy removal and reuse in the years ahead.
Every material met the LBC’s strict Red List compliance, VOC limits, and end-of-life recoverability. For dbsorb, this was more than a checklist – it was a chance to prove that acoustic performance and circularity can work in harmony.
“dbsorb's advanced demountable clipping technology and waste recycling program allowed the client to meet the stringent waste management requirements of the Living Building Challenge. We highly recommend dbsorb to design teams aiming to raise the bar for circular interiors.” - Ged Finch, Founder of XFrame
Why this matters
This project reflects a truth dbsorb has always believed: the easiest way to cut the building sector’s carbon emissions is to give existing spaces a second life. Our systems are designed with that in mind – no glue, no VOCs, no one-way trips to landfill.
For Meridian Energy HQ, that meant:
- Sustainability | Panels met zero-glue, ultra-low VOC requirements essential for occupant health and LBC certification.
- Reusability | Clip-fixed systems allow panels to be removed, reconfigured, or repurposed.
- Design freedom | Acoustic solutions shaped around irregular geometries and the heritage structure’s constraints.
Project highlights
- 95% of construction waste diverted from landfill
- 100% FSC-certified timber used
- Over 50% local/NZ-made materials
- Designed for full disassembly and reuse
- Bronze Finalist – Best Awards 2024 (Spatial: Workplace Environments)
From the timber beams above the meeting rooms to the smooth walkways curving around furniture-like spaces, every detail is designed to work in concert with the building’s heritage charm. The vertical grooves in our panels add tactile depth while quietly absorbing the noise of a bustling office.
This project challenged every product to meet LBC’s strict material transparency requirements. Our acoustic linings proved up to the task without compromise to aesthetics, health, or circularity.
