Project Cost: $30M
Architect: Jasmax
Project Director: Julian Ramsay
Project Description:
Following the recent Canterbury earthquake sequence, these buildings were designed to meet the demand from the owners to have a building that can be re-occupied with minimal delay following an earthquake.
With 11,000 square metres of floor area, this award winning development incorporates two large office buildings and a carpark building. It is the first use in the world of replaceable-link Eccentric-braced frames (EBF's). This technology, which is based on 2010 Canadian Research, limits earthquake damage to "fuses" that protect the building from earthquake damage and can be replaced easily following earthquakes to allow occupancy to resume with minimal delay.
The work carried out by Ruamoko Solutions has helped pave the way for the use of the technology in New Zealand, and Steel Construction New Zealand has published design guidelines for this system partially based on the experience with this project.
Ruamoko Solutions won a 2014 ACENZ Innovate NZ Award of Excellence and were finalists for the 2014 IPENZ Engineering Excellence Awards for their work on these buildings.
In addition this project won a Silver Award at the 2016 NZ Commercial Project Awards, won a 2015 NZIA Canterbury Architecture Award for Commercial Architecture, won a Bronze Pin (Built Environment) at the 2014 Best Awards, and won a 2014 Property Council NZ Commercial Office Property Award.
Click here for the 2013 SCNZ Steel Innovations Conference Paper.
Project Cost: $15M
Architect: Richard Proko Ltd
Project Director: Grant Wilkinson
Project Description:
Wynn Williams House is a pioneering new central Christchurch office building that uses a combination of structural seismic technology never used before anywhere in the world. While the structural elements in the building have been used before, it is the specific combination of methods chosen for the six-storey building that make it unique. The multiple layers of innovation include the use of lead-rubber base isolators, novel tension tie downs at the building corners and use of a post-tensioned frame structure with LVL timber beams and precast concrete columns.
The building replaces the former St Elmo Courts building on the corner of Hereford and Montreal Streets which was badly damaged in the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes. For the owner, a resilient a building was a must. The combined use of the structural elements means that the building will survive a 100% code earthquake (1-in-500 year event) with little or no structural damage and will remain safe and stable in a 1-in-2,500 year earthquake event. Despite the innovation present in the building, it remains a very cost-effective building.
Ruamoko Solutions was a winner in the Engineering Excellence category at the 2015 NZ Wood Design Awards, and a Finalist in the Excellence in Engineered Wood Products at those awards also for this project. In addition, Ruamoko Solutions was a finalist in the 2015 ACENZ Innovate NZ Awards of Excellence for their work on this building (click here for more details).
Project Cost: $6M
Architect: Richard Proko Ltd
Project Director: Julian Ramsay
Project Description:
Following the Canterbury earthquakes, there was a large demand for office building for newly displaced CBD tenants. This building was one of the first to be constructed to meet this demand, and incorporates two-way concrete moment resisting frames at ground and first floors, and a column-free upper floor.
Project Cost: $4M
Architect: Richard Proko Ltd
Project Director: Julian Ramsay
Project Description:
This building was one of the first in Christchurch to be designed to new post-earthquake design standards. The building features moment-resisting frames in the longitudinal direction, and concrete shear walls in the transverse direction. The architect originally designed the building with internal columns, but by utilising long-span precast flooring, Ruamoko Solutions eliminated the columns. This was a great benefit to the building owner as it allowed unobstructed carparking to the ground floor and extra flexibility for the tenants.
Project Cost: $3M
Architect: Noordanus Architects Ltd
Project Director: Julian Ramsay
Project Description:
This was one of the first buildings in Christchurch to be strengthened following the Canterbury earthquakes. It was also the first building in Christchurch to utilise steel screw-piles post earthquake. Strengthening involved steel shear "collars" and fibre-wrapping existing columns, strengthening the shear-core using self-compacting concrete, and the complete undermining and re-support of all columns and foundations onto new 10m deep screw piles which were installed under this existing building. These were highly innovative techniques which have set a benchmark for this type of work. The strengthening scheme resulted in a new lease of life for this prominently located mid-1980s era building which would have otherwise been demolished.
In addition to the strengthening work, Ruamoko carried out a significant two-bay extension to the west of this building.