Seismic restraint is a statutory requirement under the New Zealand Building Code; however, traditionally this has not been well-achieved and resulted in widespread non-compliance issues. During recent earthquakes, we have seen a disproportionately large degree of damage due to inadequate seismic restraint.
Council are now increasingly aware of this risk and are requiring PS1 for seismic restraint at consent lodgement, which means that the seismic restraint design is undertaken in parallel with the other related disciplines such as structural engineering, building services and architecture.
There are many benefits to this approach, such as:
Project 1
Christchurch Hospital ICU Pod 4Christchurch Hospital ICU Pod 4
New ICU4, comprising 12 new rooms at Waipapa Christchurch Hospital. This was fast-tracked project that was built within existing shell space, resulting in a high degree of congestion that required proactive coordination, as well as a responsive approach to solving challenges onsite. Through a mixture of a collaborative approach and pragmatic engineering, the project advanced smoothly and was completed on schedule.
NZ Commercial Project Awards: National Category Winner – Health
Project 2
Christchurch Hospital Energy CentreChristchurch Hospital Energy Centre
New Energy Centre for Christchurch Hospital. This important facility required consideration of higher seismic resilience and was designed to IL4 designation. The project was modelled in full 3D to facilitate design phase coordination, which de-risked tender stage pricing and improves construction phase efficiency. Repeatable and pragmatic restraint solutions were developed to drive further construction phases efficiencies.
Project 3
Dunedin Hospital Critical Services BuildingDunedin Hospital Critical Services Building
SDHB required assistance to understand and manage the risk posed by Non-Structural Elements (NSE) in their existing Critical Services Building (CSB). The risks to the building were numerous; however, these risks needed to be balanced with the building being an essential healthcare facility and the limited useful life that building had remaining with the construction of the New Dunedin Hospital. A risk-based rationale to enable a pragmatic mitigation schemes was determined.
