Heating, ventilation and air conditioning design for your building
Selecting the right HVAC system depends on how your building will be occupied, operated and maintained.
Rather than defaulting to a familiar product or the system that is quickest to design, CPDT Consulting evaluates viable options objectively to give you a clear view of the trade-offs between upfront capital, comfort, energy performance, maintenance, and system longevity.
CPDT Consulting provides independent HVAC design, condition reviews, and construction-stage support. Every project is handled directly by Jonathan Foster with engineering expertise dating back to 1997. Manufacturer claims are vetted against hard technical evidence rather than sales promotion.
HVAC services - Overview:
CPDT Consulting provides HVAC engineering for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in new and existing buildings throughout New Zealand.
- Compare viable HVAC options across cost, flexibility, efficiency and expected system life
- Use calculated loads and modelling to guide plant sizing and system selection
- Design ventilation around actual occupancy, operating hours and building use
- Assess existing plant before recommending retrofit or replacement options
- Specify controls, monitoring and operating schedules for better system performance
- Keep engineering support available through construction and commissioning
CPDT Consulting is a Wellington-based building services engineering consultancy providing HVAC, hydraulic and commercial pool water design for projects throughout New Zealand.
Wellington | Auckland | Hamilton | Tauranga | Napier | Hastings | Palmerston North | Nelson | Christchurch | Queenstown | Dunedin
Page: HVAC Engineering Wellington | HVAC Design Christchurch NZ - Last updated: 28th October, 2026
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- Compare HVAC systems against your building’s long-term operating requirements
- Plan for maintenance and equipment replacement before fixing layouts
- Work directly with the chartered engineer responsible for your design
CPDT Consulting is based in Wellington and provides HVAC design consultancy for building projects throughout New Zealand.
Heating and air conditioning designed around long-term value
There is rarely only one technically viable HVAC solution.
We compare system options against the way the building will be used and what the client needs from the asset over time. That assessment can include design cost, construction cost, running cost, expected life, flexibility, maintenance and future replacement.
Refrigerant-based systems can be simpler to design and may offer a lower initial cost, but they can also create greater manufacturer dependence and less flexibility. Water-based systems can cost more to design and install while offering longer life and greater adaptability.
The aim is not to promote one system type over another, but to give the client enough information to understand the implications of each option.
For refurbishments and upgrades, CPDT Consulting will tell you when replacement isn't justified, helping you avoid unnecessary capital spend when existing plant still has useful life.
Discuss your HVAC options with Jonathan.
Commercial ventilation matched to how spaces operate
HVAC design needs to reflect how a space is actually occupied and operated rather than applying the same approach to every building.
Jonathan’s experience includes retail shops and malls, offices, tenancy fit-outs, apartments, industrial ventilation, commercial kitchens, hospitality spaces, gyms, stadia, aquatic facilities and more.
Thermal modelling software can be used to assess loads, thermal comfort and energy use from concept through to construction documentation. Careful calculation helps both to minimise energy consumption and plant size. The earlier in the design process this is done, in conjunction with architectural concept design, the greater the potential benefits that can be realised.
Sometimes clients want to go beyond minimum building code requirements, and we have a wealth of experience in this regard too.
HVAC retrofit planning designed around your existing building
Retrofitting HVAC into an existing building starts with understanding what is actually there and relies on clear communication across the project team.
Jonathan works directly with architects and contractors to audit existing site conditions, assess remaining plant life, and determine whether equipment can be modified or integrated with new systems.
That information helps clients understand whether an upgrade, partial replacement or different approach offers the better long-term outcome.
Talk to Jonathan about your building’s HVAC retrofit requirements.
Talk to Jonathan about your building’s HVAC retrofit requirements.
HVAC controls design and construction overview
Efficient equipment can still waste significant energy if the controls enable it to run unnecessarily or maintain the wrong conditions.
Controls are often the easiest place to gain substantial performance and energy gains at relatively low cost.
CPDT Consulting provides controls and Building Management System performance specifications rather than physical controls installation. Jonathan defines requirements such as sensors, temperature ranges, monitoring, operating schedules and how equipment should respond. We also work closely with control suppliers to ensure that controls installations meet or exceed performance expectations.
The wider building services engineering service can continue into construction, with involvement including site observations, technical queries, commissioning-related advice and final review where these form part of the agreed scope.
As performance expectations increase, our involvement typically continues into construction and commissioning, and beyond into post-construction monitoring also becomes increasingly important. This is a service that we can offer, based on the Soft Landings approach. Application of these services is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but is very dependent on the complexity and importance of the systems involved. In a highly competitive market, it is critically important to discuss from the outset whether such services need to be considered in the scope.
No we don't. The construction industry is extremely complex, often requiring the involvement of many different specialist designers, contractors and planners. As such, it is critically important that we all work together as a team, respecting and valuing one another's specialist inputs.
Engaging us as early as possible - at the architectural concept stage - enables us to offer the maximum benefit. To optimize energy efficiency opportunities and to suggest plant space requirements and services size and routes. Too often, architects have set and agreed on their layouts before they even call us. That will usually miss opportunities and may even impose restrictions that can cause negative impacts.
Yes. CPDT Consulting provides independent site inspections, condition assessments, and due diligence reports for existing buildings.
Often engineers will offer the solution that is easiest and cheapest for them to design. However, that might not be the best solution for you. We can evaluate a range of design options and explain the impacts of each.
Option B might be more expensive to build and may be more expensive to design too, but it may offer other substantial benefits that outweigh the initial cost.
Marketing also plays a role in our industry, just as it does in others. R32 refrigerant is a prime example. It is heavily promoted, but it is one product among many. We will focus on real benefits to our customers, not on marketing spin.
This also highlights the problems with using tender processes to select design professionals, as it tends to favour options that may not be in the client's best interests. Instead, we favour a two-stage process, where we can investigate and discuss design alternatives before final design options are agreed upon.
HVAC services - Summary:
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What: CPDT Consulting provides HVAC engineering, air conditioning design, commercial ventilation design, existing system reviews, controls performance specifications and construction-stage support.
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Where: CPDT Consulting is based in Wellington and works on HVAC projects throughout New Zealand.
- Who for: Jonathan works with architects, project managers, contractors, building owners and other consultants across retail, office, apartment, industrial, hospitality, gym, stadium and aquatic projects and more.