Langham Great Room

The Langham Auckland officially opened its new ‘Great Room’ in 2010, introducing one of the largest event spaces available in New Zealand.

Stephenson&Turner provided all the building services engineering for this $8 million, 1200-square-metre facility, which has the capacity to seat 900 guests banquet-style and 1400 in a theatre layout. What’s more, it’s a hugely flexible space, with the ability to transform from a daytime conference venue to a sumptuously elegant ballroom.

This unusual combination of grandeur, glamour, versatility and value proved a highly complex project for the S&T team. We not only were responsible for installing all the mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing services, but also enabled the installation of a high-tech lighting control system that included more than 100 remote-controlled ceiling-mounted spotlights.

To complicate matters, all the work took place in a busy hotel environment that had to stay operational 24 hours a day. In addition, the Great Room’s planned opulence meant that all the services had to be invisibly integrated with the architecture – a particularly challenging task when it came to the fire-protection systems!

The result has made all the effort worthwhile. The Great Room offers a truly five-star event experience, featuring lush interior design complemented by very high-tech multimedia services that combine to deliver a world-class sensory experience. And of course it includes the hotel’s signature flourish: 33 crystal chandeliers that provide that essential touch of luxury.

Given the success of this project, S&T has since refurbished part of the hotel’s kitchen and ‘All Day Dining Room’.

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