Woods

The Complete Package

Woods is a wholly New Zealand, and employee-owned multi-disciplinary consultancy with a primary office located in Auckland and a secondary office located in Christchurch. Established in 1970, Woods has now grown to become a substantial consultancy with a team of 120 specialists providing Urban Design, Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Surveying and Geo-Spatial services to the land development, building, health, institutional, energy, government, and transport sectors, to name a few.

The Woods culture

Our approach is ‘hands-on’. There are no ‘managers managing managers’, and we have a flat organisational structure, which is why you’ll find all four of our directors running and delivering projects. We foster a collaborative design approach to complex problems leading to, innovative and cost-effective strategic solutions to fit and meet even the most demanding of sites and scale of projects, all the way from large district-scale developments to fingertip experiences at the human level. Through this approach, Woods is constantly evolving, innovating and leading the industry.

A legacy of success

We have a long track record of success. We are the preferred supplier to several large developers— some we have worked with for over 20 years. As a result, developers and Councils trust us. They know we deliver quality projects that meet the strictest of timelines and to the highest standard. They’ve seen the proof.

Innovation through Collaboration

We foster a collaborative design approach to complex problems leading to, innovative and cost-effective strategic solutions to fit and meet even the most demanding of sites and scale of projects, all the way from large district-scale developments to fingertip experiences at the human level.

Woods is constantly evolving and innovating. We have created in-house our own technologies, systems and software that arm each one of our specialists with the tools to seamlessly and efficiently run every aspect of an on-going project.

We create and deliver integrated and comprehensive solutions from, green, grey and brownfield developments to comprehensive residential, industrial & commercial developments that are thoughtful, perform commercially and are places people enjoy.

Our Multi-disciplinary company comprises Urban Designers, Architects, Planners, Engineers, Surveyors, Sustainability and GIS specialists. Together we work collaboratively, balancing complex commercial, environmental, social, and technical factors while creating desirable and high performing developments, communities and facilities.

Creating spaces for home, work & play

The urban design and architecture team is integral to Woods. Like the final piece in a puzzle, it enables us to deliver complete projects — from greenfield subdivisions to residential and commercial developments.

Urban design is about making the best use of land and creating pleasant, liveable places. Though aesthetics is important, it is often how a place feels that makes the most impact — the spaces between buildings and civic areas that create a city’s character.

Connected urban environments

Over time, societies and lifestyles change. So, as urban designers and architects, we are forward-looking and aware of the changing nature of suburbia and the urban pressures caused by the larger issues of transport, sustainability and housing affordability.

Much of the sub-divisional development during the 1960s and 1970s lost its way — there were lots of cul-de-sacs and separate residential and commercial zones. As a result, urban environments in many parts of New Zealand are disconnected. People can’t go anywhere without a car, and they find themselves isolated within their communities.

We take a new urban approach and strive to create well-designed urban spaces, with greater choices for living and working available, where people can walk to work and engage with their neighbours.

Professional standards

Everyone in the Urban Design and Architecture team holds a degree in architecture, with different staff members having a Masters in Architecture, Urban Design & Sustainability, or work experience in brownfields development and retirement village design.

We keep our expertise up to date through continuous professional development (CPD). Senior staff are members of the Urban Design Forum, and we frequently liaise with councils through submissions and hearings processes in conjunction with our planning team.

Our urban design & architecture services include:

• Structure planning
• Master planning
• Concept development plans, urban design policy & design guidelines
• Design feasibility
• Residential developments — site planning and architectural design
• Town centre development projects
• Retirement village design
• Expert advice
• Community consultation processes — strategies and implementation

Visualisation

• Visual effect analysis
• 3D modelling of land and building form
• Sight line analysis
• Sun shading diagrams

Making places for people to live

At Woods, we have worked with land developers for more than 40 years. You learn from experience, so we understand the commercial considerations, the increased environmental concerns, and potential pitfalls for any project, large or small.

Achieving outcomes

Our goal is to achieve the best outcome for our clients and future users of these communities. This involves collaborating with all stakeholders, establishing clear communication, programming multiple consenting and on-site workstreams and delivering a high-quality product on schedule.

With the many other stakeholders in land development projects such as councils and community groups. We are mindful of achieving win/win outcomes for all parties.

This requires compromise. So, we listen, are open-minded and don’t restrict ourselves to rigid structures.

Long-term approach

Honesty has been a core value of Woods since day one. To us, this means being up front — confronting and resolving issues sooner, rather than later.

This approach has stood us in good stead over the years, and we have several major long-term developer clients.

Providing essential bulk services

Land development is pointless without bulk services. The Woods Infrastructure team designs the roads, bridges, water reservoirs, wastewater transmission lines and pump stations to enable a development to function.

Our expertise

Woods has been in business for over 40 years. Consequently, we have a large mix of specialists in the country, from surveyors, water engineers, stormwater engineers to architects. This broad range of expertise enables us to develop first-class solutions for highly complex projects.

Innovation

Woods is well-known for innovative problem-solving. Much of this innovation stems from our people; we are relatively young from a wide range of cultures. We are also always on the lookout for new technology and ways of doing things, both in New Zealand and abroad.

Managing change

Like many industries, our business is forever changing. Technology has changed considerably in recent times, and environmental concerns mean that machinery has become quieter and more pleasing to the eye.

So, to keep up to date, our people are members of their respective professional associations and engage in continuous professional development (CPD).

Our Engineering services include:

Pre-development

• Due diligence
• Urban design
• Planning and resource management
• Entitlements
• Project feasibility studies

Design

• Surveying
• Water, stormwater and wastewater systems
• Street and highway design
• Utility master planning
• Earthworks modelling
• Catchment analysis, drainage and flood control
• Environmental resource protection

Our infrastructure services include:

Three waters

• Treatment
• System planning
• Catchment analysis – hydraulics, urban drainage, stormwater management
• Planning and approvals
• Design
• Cost estimating
• Survey and GIS
• Project management and advisory
• Community consultation
• Tunnelling

Transportation

• Planning and approvals
• Design
• Cost estimating
• Survey and GIS
• Project management and advisory
• Community consultation

Construction management

• Contract administration
• Inspection/observation

The science of measurement

With more than 30 surveyors in Auckland and Christchurch, Woods has one of the largest surveying teams in New Zealand. This means we can meet all surveying requirements — from topographical and site detail to LIDAR and Terrestrial Scanning.

Our surveyors

An organisation is nothing without its people. So, we focus on hiring the best and supporting them. We recruit new graduates from Otago University and put all surveyors through continuous professional and development programmes (CPD), consisting of a formal and informal learning.

Strength in diversity

With people from a wide range of ages and cultures, our surveying team is as diverse as it is large. We believe this diversity gives us strength; it provides the ability to approach projects from many perspectives.

Doing the job right

Surveying is the ‘science of measurement,’ so it goes without saying, accuracy and attention to detail are paramount.

Before starting any project, it is important to understand its purpose and background. So, we ask questions and listen. This ensures we avoid costly site revisits in order to capture data missed the first time around. Fully understanding the project eliminates extra costs that can accumulate

Latest technology

To augment the skills of our surveyors and continue to deliver the best possible service, we embrace innovative ideas and technologies. Woods boast one of the most modern and expansive survey equipment inventories in New Zealand including terrestrial and mobile laser scanning technologies.

Our surveying services include:

• Topographical and site detail surveys
• Legalisation surveys
• GPS surveys
• GIS data collection surveys
• Resource consent applications for subdivision
• Cross lease, urban and rural subdivision
• Subdivision to create strata titles
• Unit title subdivision
• Covenant and easement surveys
• Boundary redefinition
• Rentable area measurement (BOMA/PLEINZ)
• As built surveys
• Civil construction set out
• Monitoring of settlement and lateral displacement
• Photogrammetric survey control
• Railway surveys
• LIDAR and Terrestrial Scanning

Leaders in innovation

Woods was one of the first companies to introduce 3D laser scanning to New Zealand. Since then, we have become a leading service provider and created a specialised department: Woods Laser Scanning.

Without a doubt, our team has the expertise and capacity to collectively provide over a decade of experience in laser scanning, both locally and internationally.

We have a large inventory of modern surveying equipment, including mobile surveying capabilities, which support innovative and diverse solutions for our clients.

What is Laser Scanning?

Laser scanners deliver high-quality 3D data at a scan rate measuring up to one million points per second. The resulting point cloud provides accurate 3D geometry through the high saturation of points over the object.  Each scan captures High Dynamic Range imagery (HDR), which are overlaid onto the point cloud to provide rich, realistic colours. 3D models can then be generated for a number of industries, ranging from construction and architecture to civil infrastructure or plant processing.

Improving Efficiency by Utilising geospatial solutions

In most projects, information tends to come from many sources, such as surveys, designs, images taken on sites and mapping of planning controls. All of them have something in common: they can be assigned a location in space. Geographic Information Systems allows us and our clients to look at that data together and examine spatial dependencies and trends to better understand the area being developed and ensure the best outcome is always pursued.

Mapping and Spatial Data Management
When it comes to land development, location is the key. At Woods, we manage location-aware data, that is developed by our engineers and urban designers, collected by our surveyors, as well as acquired from outside sources. We use it to improve our understanding of the project sites, identify possibilities, implications of designs, restraints and priorities, and overall improve efficiencies. Through overlaying and analysing different datasets, and consequently achieving apparent visualisations, GIS can help to reveal solutions and inspire ideas. With the use of web maps, we can make more informed decisions.

Web maps can be a great tool for communication and collaboration. They can provide good insight to our clients, enabling them to visualise the next project stages and keeping them better informed.

Mobile Geospatial Solutions
As an innovative and dynamic company, we use modern technologies to improve our data collection. We utilise GIS-based mobile applications to gather information in the field, required by our clients. This enables us to work faster and more efficiently, reducing processing time in the office and minimising chances of any error.

The benefits of GIS

• Better visualisation of data
• Easier and more intuitive access to information
• Improved collaboration
• Increased efficiency of data collection

Our GIS Services Include

• GIS data collection surveys
• Mapping
• Terrain analysis

We advise, strategise & get on with it

The Woods planning team offers a complete and independent service. Our role is to guide clients calmly through the complex planning environment to deliver the desired outcomes.

Coordination

Planners are not an island. Any given project brings together professionals from many areas of expertise such as engineering, ecology, urban design, surveying and geotechnical. It is an integral part of a planner’s job to coordinate these parties and ensure everyone assigned to a project takes a consistent approach. As a result, our planners have exceptional people and communication skills.

A point of difference

We are different. Our planners are independent and only work for our applicants and clients. This gives us a full understanding of a project and complete focus on the outcomes. We operate across the full spectrum of policy and consents and will provide expert evidence in court to support our clients’ cases.

When consents are granted, we ensure our clients are aware of the conditions, when they need to happen, and their ongoing obligations.

Keeping up-to-date

We stay current. The industry is growing in complexity, and regulations change continually.

Our planning team’s strength stems from its depth of knowledge and ability to deliver a broad range of projects.

To remain up-to-date and maintain professional standards, all our planners are members of the New Zealand Planning Institute and are part of its continuous professional development (CPD) programme.

Collaboration

We ‘play well’ with others, and collaboration is integral to the Woods culture. Whether a client uses only Woods’ planning service or includes other Woods engineers, surveyors or designers, we ensure open communication lines with all project team members.

Our planning services include:

Consenting for:

• multi-unit residential
• commercial developments
• infrastructure
• earthworks
• subdivisions
• discharges

And

• Master planning, structure planning and plan changes
• Submissions on plan changes, notified consents and designations
• Expert planning evidence at Council hearings and the Environment Court
• Applications for designations
• Iwi consultation
• Heritage New Zealand applications

Delivering tangible outcomes

Project management is about minimising risk and achieving tangible outcomes such as on-time delivery to the highest standard and cost-efficiency. To achieve the best outcome, we assign project managers with skills and experience best suited to the size and nature of any given project.

Communication

There are often many stakeholders in a project: the client, the Woods project team and external organisations such as specialist consultants, Councils, Iwi and interest groups. So, to be effective, a project manager must be a conduit between all parties and a skilled communicator.

Connected to the industry

All Woods project managers are seasoned professionals. They also have well-established industry networks because, to get things done, knowing the right people, in Councils and the wider industry, is essential.

How we work

For every new project, we form a team that comprises professionals with the necessary expertise (planners, urban designers, engineers, surveyors, etc.). These people work on the project from start to finish.

No Woods project team member works in isolation — collaboration is a big part of our culture. Our offices are open-plan, which facilitates communication, and working together side by side provides every team member an appreciation of the overall project.

Our project management services include:

• Preparation of project briefs
• Client representation
• Design management
• Sub-consultant brief definition and selection
• Sub-consultant engagement and cost control
• Project team management
• Buildability and feasibility analysis
• Budget management / Cost control
• Information management
• Contract administration
• Value management services
• Project delivery advice
• Negotiation services
• Tender management
• Project reporting
• Project salvaging service

Safety – That’s how we do things here
That is the core message we believe in. It is at the heart of all work we do here. Woods is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace so all our families can rest knowing we are doing everything in our power to ensure everyone comes home every day.

It extends beyond just our workplace it permeates every facet of work we do through engineering with safety in design to help the contractors build what we design safely. Health and safety are at the forefront of everything we do here at Woods. It is the first item on the agenda at all our meetings whether they are in house or out in the field, client lead or contractor management.
Accreditation
- ACC Tertiary Rating
- Impac Contractor ‘Pre-Qualification’ 5 Star Assessment Rating
- SiteWise Green Certification

Looking after our clients at Woods, we care about our clients and their projects. We work with our clients providing independent audits on a variety of projects ensuring that they are receiving the best service from their consultants and contractors while providing a high degree of comfort to our clients that their projects are delivered in the safest manner possible.