A distinctive Kāpiti Coast office and warehouse building designed by a well-known New Zealand architect in the 1980s for a Wellington-born artist, has been placed on the market for sale.

Waikanae-based artist Malcolm Warr tasked renowned Auckland architect and patron of the arts, Ron Sang ONZM to design him a studio and he subsequently worked from the property at 26 Parata Street, Waikanae from 1981 until around 1990.

Construction company Redican Allwood then occupied the building for more than 30 years before relocating to central Wellington in late-2023. The property is being sold with vacant possession and has an assessed potential annual net rental of $81,800 plus GST.

The single-level 463sqm building sits on an 849sqm freehold site at the corner of Parata Street and Kapanui Road on the fringe of the town centre zone, close to the Waikanae shopping centre.

There is 253sqm of attractive office space with a fenced private courtyard, paved walkways and 210sqm of warehouse/workshop and storage facilities accessed by a metal roller door. Dramatic high pitch roof angles let copious amounts of light into the building, particularly important for the south-facing side of the warehouse.

A loading dock and the rear yard are accessed from Kapanui Road for streamlined deliveries and parking.

Sang was active in both commercial and domestic architecture and the General Industrial-zoned Waikanae property has residential overtones with its rusticated cedar-clad exterior, plentiful use of glass, and street profile. Two of Warr’s prints hang in the office reception area as a nod to its origins, and the interior of the building has undergone recent refurbishment with new carpet and paint.

The property has an IEP seismic report dated 2024 of 75-percent new building standard, and is being marketed by Jo Stewart, Bayleys Wellington Commercial via a tender campaign closing 10th July.

With Waikanae becoming a very self-sufficient town with a wide range of commercial-based services rounding out its retail and community offerings, Stewart says this property would suit a discerning owner-occupier looking for pivotally-located premises, or an investor.

“Waikanae is a growing community and the industrial precinct around the subject property supports this,” says Stewart.

“The beneficial twist here for an owner-occupier is they could opt to occupy the office component and lease out the warehouse, or vice versa as the property would have wide appeal to occupiers from tradespeople, professionals, online retailers requiring inventory storage, and community groups.

“I also feel that creatives or investors with an eye for unique properties will recognise the inherent provenance of the building given the Ron Sang effect, and the connection with artist Malcolm Warr who is very well-known in the region and beyond.”

Industrial property in Waikanae tends to be extremely tightly-held and anything that does come to the open market garners significant enquiry whether for sale or lease, according to Stewart.

“This property has a clever design which offers industrial functionality with professional office aesthetics, and there’s excellent road frontage for business profile and branding opportunities.

“It’s in close proximity to the Kāpiti Expressway, and around 50 minutes’ drive from Wellington CBD, and with Waikanae town precinct being revitalised, the property is in a strategic position in an identified coastal growth node.”

Stewart says planned roading upgrades and intensification rezoning will further enhance the location as a mixed-use precinct.

Click here for more information on the listing.