Work is under way on Emerson's Brewery new redevelopment, worth up to $6 million, in Dunedin after earthworks began on the Anzac Ave site this week.
Brewer Richard Emerson is brimming with enthusiasm for the project which is expected to be completed by mid-2016.
''I just want to get on with it, move, and get making beer,'' Mr Emerson said yesterday.
He said more than 1 million litres of beer will be produced in the new facility in its first year, a total he expects to eventually double given the larger capacity of the new plant.
Beca senior civil engineer Jandre van Zyl said because the land was reclaimed, the first of the recently delivered fill, of a total 4800 tonnes, will be spread over the 2000sq m building footprint, compacted, then left to settle for three months.
Underground services would be relocated, then some of the fill would be removed and a thick earthquake-proof concrete raft slab would be poured, allowing full construction to begin.
Ben van Meurs, senior contract manager for construction company Downer, expects to find some historical artefacts in the reclaimed land during the earthworks phase, and will have Heritage New Zealand (HNZ) on hand to assess whether further more detailed excavation is necessary.
An underground stormwater pipe would be opened up for HNZ inspection shortly, he said.
The building construction, followed by fit-out, and other site finishing work, including forming about 50 car parks, access roads and site underground services, is expected to begin in July, and run through to mid-2016, using up to 80 staff during the coming 15 months.
The new brewery site for 23-year-old Emerson's is also expected to become an all-round tourist attraction for the city, incorporating tours of the new brewery, warehousing, retail store plus a bar and restaurant.
''It'll be a great asset for Dunedin, as well as home for us,'' Mr Emerson said.
Acquisition of the site last October also secured Emerson's future as a Dunedin brand, allaying fears it could have been moved north after it was bought by liquor giant Lion for about $8 million in November 2012.
