Location: Aotearoa/New Zealand

Holmes win GOLD at ACE Awards 2023

Holmes and Naylor Love won GOLD for the Christ Church Cathedral Stabilisation Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project at the ACE Awards 2023.

This is one of Aotearoa’s most iconic and significant reinstatement projects in history, posing very complex engineering and health & safety challenges – carefully managed through close collaboration with project stakeholders.

The Canterbury earthquakes of 2011 caused significant damage to the historic Cathedral. Stabilisation presented significant technical engineering, construction and health and safety challenges given the site constraints, biohazards, and the badly damaged structure. At the same time the work had to preserve the historical character and facilitate the Cathedral’s restoration phase.

ACE said “Holmes and Naylor Love are recognised for the expertise, commitment and a deep understanding of its structural challenges that had to be addressed to set up the cathedral for the project’s reinstatement phase.”

 

As well as this incredible win, we are proud to have been awarded MERIT for the Observatory Hotel at The Arts Centre – Christchurch Te Matatiki Toi Ora.

The Arts Centre’s F Block, which was structurally compromised during the 2010-2011 earthquakes, was restored to preserve the building’s heritage, strengthened, and repurposed to house the luxury hotel, bringing a vital revenue stream for the Arts Centre. Clever engineering helped restore this impressive heritage building to its former glory.

“Holmes is recognised for its expertise and commitment to preserving the heritage of this building while facilitating its repurposing as a hotel, and its collaborative, can-do attitude which has made this possible.” – ACE

 

About the ACE Awards:

New Zealand’s leading engineering consultants were celebrated at the 2023 ACE Awards Gala in Wellington on September 21. An industry calendar highlight, the awards recognise the consulting excellence that underpins some of the country’s most impactful projects – from shared pathways that provide low-carbon transport options to restorations of culturally significant buildings and equipment repairs to ensure business continuity. ACE Chief Executive Helen Davidson says the event is the pinnacle of achievement for the outstanding talent that exists within the country’s professional services consulting sector, especially at a time when these consultants are operating in a very complex environment.

Michael Williamson receives scholarship to attend Timber Conference in Norway

Michael Williamson, Design Engineer at Holmes ANZ recently attended the World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) in Oslo, Norway, after being awarded a scholarship by the NZ Timber Design Society. We had the pleasure of catching up with Michael to hear more about his amazing trip and what he learned about what’s new in the world of timber.

 

Q: How did you end up going on this trip? What was the process for being selected?

Michael: I was awarded a scholarship from the Timber Design Society. The application was a two-page proposal about how to increase the uptake of engineered timber in NZ. My proposal focused on how to give NZ practitioners the confidence to solve engineered timber challenges through sharing challenges and solutions on real world projects. There is plenty of uncertainty around many aspects of the delivery of engineered timber projects, and we need to share successes and failures on our NZ projects to help reduce this uncertainty and advance our industry.

 

Q: What inspired you to apply?

Michael: After working on a mass timber project, I found that I enjoyed the technical challenge of timber, so I to gain exposure to the wider industry. Designing in timber is a great way to reduce carbon emissions from construction, so it’s an opportunity for us structural engineers make a difference towards mitigating climate change. Going to Europe was a bonus too!”

 

Q: What was the top 3 take aways from the event?

Michael: My main learnings were around how the the world of timber is changing in regard to structural engineering.

  • Fire performance is still the most limiting, challenging and contentious aspect of mass timber buildings. There were a lot more questions than answers.
  • CLT is really becoming the hot engineered timber product. It’s being used for diaphragms, floor plates in point supported contexts (no gravity beams) and walls as part of the lateral frame. There appears to be strong potential for CLT, but there is still plenty of research and work to be done to increase its uptake.
  • It’s a lot easier to design a mid or high rise mass timber building in regions without earthquakes, but there are some cutting-edge, seismically resistant timber buildings coming out of the West Coast of the States and the Pacific Northwest. We should start to see similar buildings popping up around NZ in the next few years.

 

Q: In your opinion, where do you think NZ ranks currently in relation to the rest of the engineering world when it comes to mass timber and sustainability?

Michael: NZ is a bit behind Europe in regard to the uptake of mass timber, however, our regulations around reducing our construction emissions to achieve the national net zero carbon emissions 2050 target should push us to be a leader in sustainability. There is good reason why NZ is probably a bit behind – we have to deal with a significant seismic hazard, and the knowledge around the seismic performance of mass timber buildings is still developing. In my opinion, NZ ranks near the front for mass timber engineering in regions of high seismicity – perhaps this also says that there is still a bit of work to do in this field.

Q: Tell us one weird thing you ate/drank/saw/did while at the conference. 

Michael: I tried reindeer at a restaurant after the conference!

Congratulations from all of us at Holmes ANZ on winning the scholarship! 

Learnings from the 2023 International Mass Timber Conference

Everything is bigger in the US… and sometimes that is a good thing!

Especially if it allows for the rapid development and adoption of technologies that will help reduce emissions associated with the built environment.

Project Director Lisa Oliver, our resident Mass Timber expert here at Holmes (she’s our Sustainability Leader for Holmes Australia and New Zealand, Holmes’s first ever Greenstar accredited professional, not to mention she is involved in the SESOC Sustainable Design Task Force, the current Vice President of the Timber Design Society, and is also part of the Timber Design Centre governance group) attended the 2023 International Mass Timber Conference held in Portland (Oregan, US) along with thousands of her industry colleagues across the globe.

Here are her three key takeaways from this prestigious industry event:

  1. Smart projects are what we should be aspiring to here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

  2. Just because it’s timber doesn’t mean it’s sustainable.

  3. Collaborate, don’t compete.

The International Mass Timber Conference attracts over 3000 delegates and 150 exhibitors. Lisa says, “It’s huge compared to anything hosted in Aotearoa New Zealand. The US market has big players like Google who are happy to pay extra for ‘jewel box’ timber projects, so the number of multi-storey mass timber projects that were showcased at the conference was far greater than the number of mass timber projects we have at home here in NZ.”

That aside, Lisa’s enthusiasm was refreshed by seeing NZ’s mass timber industry is not that far behind our counterparts in the USA, where this rapid uptake of mass timber has all happened in the last five years. The conference sessions covered the same learnings and advice for timber projects one would hear locally in a Timber Design Society webinar, or WoodWorks NZ conference. And many of the exhibitors were familiar as they are also present in Aotearoa New Zealand.

So, what do we need to do to see a similar increase in the uptake of mass timber here?

1. Understand why you are using timber and optimise for it!

Lisa says the conference highlighted that there are two types of timber projects:

  • ‘Jewel Boxes’ – where timber is used for its aesthetic appeal and to tick a token sustainability box. These tend to get all the press but are rarely cost effective.

  • ‘Smart projects’ – those using timber because through smart design it is determined to be the best construction material. The design of these ‘smart projects’ is often structure-led and involves early collaboration by the whole design team (including contractors and suppliers). These projects achieve low carbon, rapid construction, and cost efficiency. It means they are a competitive option for multi-unit housing and mid-rise commercial buildings. This type of project is what Lisa believes we should be aspiring to. She says, “They don’t need to be completely utilitarian; they can also be amazing spaces! I was fortunate to visit the Thesis HQ building by LEVER Architecture (with Holmes US as the Structural Engineers). It was a great example of a smart project.” See the case study below.

2. Do all you can to make buildings more sustainable.

Conference keynote speaker, Michael Green stated, “We are not building sustainable buildings simply by making them timber”. He agreed timber is a great start to being more sustainable, but we can’t stop there. Michael provided an example of where his team had done an exercise to see how much material could be saved if only what was structurally required was used and found a massive 27% reduction in material was achieved (making the overall structure lighter, which would further reduce the volume of material required). Green envisions a future where buildings are robotically formed with a (yet to be developed) plant-based building material. He thinks this could be locally sourced plant-based fibres that are microscopically cross laminated with natural binders so that it could be sustainably made throughout the world (as the areas with the predicted highest population growth do not have sustainable timber supply). Although we can’t implement this part of Green’s message on current projects, savings can be realised by ensuring architecture is driven by structure and follows the logic of the structure.

3. Collaborate!

In one of the panel discussions titled ‘Are We There Yet? Carbon, Construction & Credibility’, Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of Built by Nature advocated for moving to collaboration, not competition, as together we need to compete to save the planet.

We can only create smart timber buildings if we work together. If we do it well, our joint efforts will make a meaningful impact reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as creating buildings that are cost effective and good for people. Collaboration was the key theme running through the whole conference, and being a conference, it was a great place for people from across the industry to get together and share ideas. Benefits of collaboration include optimising for structural, construction and manufacturing efficiencies, integrating services, and ensuring the required acoustic and fire performance is achieved efficiently.

Another area of collaboration that can’t be overlooked is with those who are going to be the end users of the spaces we are creating and ensuring their voices are contributing to the design. The challenge was put forward to the mass timber sector to build a new industry that is diverse and inclusive from the start — to be a catalyst for change in the entire building and construction industry.

Other snippets of wisdom

Many of the presentations covered advice that will be familiar to timber practitioners here such as:

  • Measure and value the reduced emissions associated with using timber;

  • Consider hybrid construction;

  • And, ensure you are designing for timber rather than trying to make a steel or concrete building out of timber.

“I’m an advocate for mass timber buildings, but I have seen more projects where timber was contemplated early in the design ultimately end up constructed out of steel and concrete due to the potential benefits of timber not be recognised. The International Mass Timber conference has refreshed my enthusiasm to change this statistic, I want to see many more smart timber projects across Aotearoa New Zealand — helping us reduce the emissions associated with our built environment.” says Lisa Oliver.

Meet Daly Peeti – Drafter and creative.

ANZAC Day is happening tomorrow (in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia), and we had the pleasure of speaking with Daly Peeti, one of our Drafters who is part of the Infrastructure Team in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland)—but did you know she also served in the Royal New Zealand Navy?

 

Question: So, Daly, tell us a little about yourself and your former career.

Daly: I was part of the Royal New Zealand Navy for eight years; I joined straight out of High School. During my time with the Navy, I have been a Systems Combat Specialist and an Electronic Technician (specialising in Radars). I have completed six deployments: an Ice Trip to Antarctica, a six-month tour of Southeast Asia, deployment to Canada, various shorter deployments here in Aotearoa NZ, an anti-piracy tour in the Seychelles, East Coast tour of the US, and I even went on an exchange with the Royal Navy for a year based in Portsmouth.

 

Q: That’s such an amazing list of experiences and an incredible life to lead! So, what made you decide to change careers and become a Drafter? Can you tell us a little more about that?

Daly: Sure! I was ready to settle down. Not seeing my partner for nine months out of the year (he was also in the Navy) and being away from family–I was looking for something a little closer to home. I wanted to pursue something I was really passionate about, and after trying different placements and discovering what I enjoyed most I realised I really enjoyed the papers I was doing part-time online while still in the Navy.

Q: Wow! So, you were still in the Navy full time and studying as well? That’s impressive! Was there something that inspired you to choose Drafting?

Daly: I’d done Graphic Design in High School. And after doing Unitec part-time for one and a half years I decided I wanted to do it full-time to complete my studies. So, I left the Navy to focus on finishing my studies, but I am still a Reservist with the Royal New Zealand Navy.

 

Q: Was there a particular reason you chose a Drafting career in Engineering?

Daly: Yes! Jess Baker and Mark Polglase came to do a presentation at Unitec about Holmes, and what they talked about sounded really interesting. After chatting with Jess a bit more I discovered I could do a six-month placement in the Infrastructure Team and then swap (with Sara, who has now left) to do a six month placement in the Structures team. But I’ve really liked learning everything here in the Infrastructure team, so I am quite happy to stay here for now and progress more with my skills.

Interviewer: That’s really cool that you get the opportunity to influence and shape where your career takes you!

Q: What does ANZAC Day mean to you?

Daly: It’s about honouring the people who put their lives on the line. The sacrifice they made by leaving their families.
At the RSA on ANZAC Day, it’s incredible to hear the stories from the older guys on what it was like for them, and as time goes on these opportunities to hear their stories are fewer–there isn’t many of them left. And, as a Reservist I still can help and give back too.

Q: Do you have plans for ANZAC Day tomorrow?

Daly: Yes. I’ll be taking my Nana to see the local ANZAC Day parade. Reservists are allowed to attend services in their uniform–but that’s a personal choice to do so.
It’s been so long since we have been able to hold celebrations on ANZAC Day, it’s nice to have the freedom to get together. I remember during the height of COVID lockdown I lived in a Navy house, on a street with quite a few Navy houses, and we all dressed up in our uniforms and went to our Letterboxes for ANZAC Day–it was quite moving.

Q: Thank you so much for sharing with us Daly, I really appreciate the time. It’s been incredible hearing about this amazing life you’ve already led prior to joining Holmes!

Daly: Thanks for having me!

2023 Client Choice Awards Winner!

Massive thank you to all our clients for nominating us!

From over 270 firms entered in this year’s 2023 Client Choice Awards, we were honoured to be awarded the ‘Most Innovative Built & Natural Environment Consulting Firm >$30M’!

This year’s awards saw over 17,000 pieces of client feedback, which were used to adjudicate these prestigious awards – we’re truly humbled.

Thank you to our wonderful clients and collaborators for nominating us. It’s a great endorsement of our approach to problem-solving and the results we deliver our clients. It also confirms our position as a business with incredible technical horsepower, the ability to think a little more deeply, and a willingness try new things. Definitely something to celebrate!

To learn more visit here.

Rankine Browne Library shortlisted for IStructE Awards

We’re excited to announce Rankine Brown Library has been shortlisted for the 2022 IStructE Awards.

Our Fire Engineering team in Aotearoa New Zealand were part of the project, led by BECA.

Judge’s comments: 

“Great pains have been taken to restore this library following earthquake damage and the efforts to justify the building through repairs and upgrade are admirable, providing enormous savings on the alternative of new construction. The design implemented improvements beyond code requirements under severe working constraints as the library remained in use throughout.

There was impressive communication of the engineer’s role in the process at a digestible level for everyone involved to understand. This communication of the complex works to building users throughout the project stands out as a good example of the importance of our profession: teamwork, communication, collaboration and responsiveness”.

The prestigious IStructE Awards celebrate engineering excellence on an international scale. Congratulations to all our project partners: 

Client: Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington

Structural Designer: Beca

Architect: Athfield Architects

Principal Contractor: LT McGuinness

Fire Engineering: Holmes NZ

Steelwork Subcontractor: MJH Engineering Limited

Building Services: Beca

Quantity Surveyor: RLB

 

Te Papa Tongarewa – The National Museum of Aotearoa New Zealand

Te Papa Tongarewa is the National Museum of Aotearoa New Zealand, located on the Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) waterfront—an iconic museum entertaining millions of visitors from all over the world. Te Papa hosts many stunning artifacts of Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural heritage, providing a direct link to the country’s recent and distant past. Working in partnership with Arup, Holmes’ engineering experts successfully delivered a landmark structure with a design life of 150 years, in a highly seismic environment.

From a technical perspective, the project was exceptionally challenging. The museum is designed for very heavy floor loads with an extremely large grid to maintain future flexibility for exhibitions and storage of collections. The building foundation platform required ground improvement, with heavy weights dropped across the entire site over several months to compact the softer materials. Te Papa itself is base isolated, resting on lead rubber bearings and teflon sliders that cushion the building, its occupants and contents from earthquake. In fact, the museum actually features an exhibit about earthquakes and how the structure protects against them!

If you haven’t already been to Te Papa, we recommend you schedule it in as soon as possible. While many of the exhibits will take your breath away, don’t forget to enjoy the structure itself—an intelligent engineering design that demonstrates the very best in structural thinking.

CentrePort Berth and Upgrades

Holmes has been providing ongoing professional engineering advice and support to CentrePort for more than a decade. The key skills we bring are typically in civil, structural, geotechnical, fire and construction engineering. We are regularly involved in activities that encompass new build, inspection and condition reporting, structural assessment, strengthening and refurbishment, public spaces, asset management planning and more. This experience has equipped us with an in-depth understanding of the working port environment and the ability to contribute our knowledge and expertise across all levels from high level planning through to providing technical advice and design to asset management.

Holmes, alongside Tonkin + Taylor, were engaged to deliver this programme of projects that included:

  • Berth modifications to RFT2 & RFT3 to accommodate ferries
  • Upgrades to Kings Wharf to maintain an important coastal shipping facility, and
  • Post-quake temporary works to the Thorndon Container Wharf to resume operational continuity following the Kaikoura earthquake in 2016
  • Wharf modifications to accommodate for Kaitaki and Aratere, including new linkspan, berthing, mooring, fenders and strengthening works

Working in close proximity to a major fault line had a significant impact on the designs. Seismic risk reduction was factored in to reduce impact in the event of an earthquake. The harsh marine environment demanded project-appropriate constructability, and a genuine understanding of engineering close to and beneath the ocean.

Perry Bridge

Te Awa walk and cycleway stretches along the Waikato River in central Aotearoa, running from Ngāruawāhia in the north to Karapiro in the south. The Perry Bridge was the final link in the chain, completing the path and opening up a fantastic activity for locals and visitors to the region. The original plans didn’t even include a bridge—but the client wasn’t able to secure permission to build the path on the west side of the river. The solution was a detour across to the east side of the river, by way of a new bridge, which was put out for competition.

Holmes and Emmetts Civil Construction submitted an alternative solution for the bridge involving a visually stunning, innovative network arch. The efficiency of this form of structure kept its costs within a practical budget, but the client also recognised the opportunity to create a visually compelling focal point to help attract people to the cycleway. Drawing on a concept conceived in the 1950s by the brilliant Norwegian engineer, Per Tveit, the project team delivered a visually stunning, innovative network arch bridge. The bridge is very long and thin, spanning 130m at just 3m in width—presenting a number of complex technical engineering challenges. It’s New Zealand’s fourth network arch bridge and the first of its kind in the country designed specifically for pedestrians and cyclists. It’s also the longest network arch bridge in the country.

Moving into the construction phase, it became evident that the proposed launch sequence, involving barges on the river, had a high level of risk and uncertainty. We devised an innovative and efficient alternative launch sequence, pulling the bridge across the river on cables. The launch went smoothly, and the outcome is exceptional. Our alternative tender design helped to capture the public’s imagination, and involved local schools, artists and other stakeholders to ensure relevance to the local community.

Omāroro Reservoir

Holmes worked alongside contractor Heb to produce an alternative design for the Omāroro reservoir in 2019. This offering was ultimately successful, and the detailed design was completed for this critical Wellington Water project over the second half of 2020.

The Holmes structural and geotechnical design team created efficiencies through a number of means, saving the asset owner millions of dollars in capital expenditure. The alternative design drew on a thorough assessment of soil-structure interaction to demonstrate performance under service, ultimate and maximum credible earthquake events. This was particularly important for the reservoir as it is buried in its final state and a lifeline asset. We reduced material use and accommodated the contractors preferences by not adopting key elements of the original design.

We sought input from Wellington Water during the design process, and adapted aspects of the specification to suit their longer term needs. A simple example is the adoption of certain roughness requirements on the tank floor to reduce risk of slips for personnel inspecting or cleaning in future.

The team completed construction staging checks for precast walls and for different backfilling scenarios. Our structural modellers and civil designers performed a number of staged construction modelling exercises to assist the Heb team in communicating with their own staff and with external stakeholders. This enhanced safety outcomes and overall understanding for both project contributors and other interested parties.

With permanent works design complete, the team continues with temporary works, construction monitoring and technical support through 2021.

Christchurch Town Hall

Acclaimed world-wide for both its architecture and acoustics, the Christchurch Town Hall holds a special spot in Cantabrian hearts. Its position at the centre of the new Performing Arts precinct reinforces its status as a premier gathering place for both performances and events.

As a result of the devasting 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, and due to the land damage beneath, the Town Hall required the strengthening of foundations and damage repair to the original design. For Holmes, this NZ $167M+ conservation project was both technically complex and interesting. With significant portions being upgraded, repaired and restored, and additional areas undergoing a complete rebuild—this project offered the full spectrum of structural and geotechnical challenges. Holmes collaborated with the geotechnical engineers to design a new foundation raft atop ground improvement that tied the existing building elements together and provided additional resilience to the complex. Through high end analysis we’ve minimised the strengthening work required for the superstructure to achieve 100%NBS—an achievement we’re incredibly proud of!

In addition to the excellent engineering we achieved, we aimed to help preserve the original character and style of the building with its white marble, dark timber, rich red fabrics and vibrant artworks–because it was important to our client. Maintaining the original identity of the building provides a tangible link to ‘prequake Christchurch’, and Holmes was delighted to be involved with the preservation of such an iconic building.

In 2021, the project won the highly coveted and exclusive ‘Supreme Award’, at the 2021 Structural Awards by The Institution of Structural Engineers. It also won its nominated category ‘Structural Heritage’ too.

Waipapa | Christchurch Hospital

The new Acute Services Building at the Christchurch Hospital is a vital piece of infrastructure for the city, and a project demanding some clever engineering in a tight programme. Holmes was brought in for structural and civil engineering on the strength of our extensive healthcare expertise and our ability to deliver a robust, resilient design appropriate for Christchurch’s extremely challenging seismic environment.

We applied the principles of Low Damage Design to underpin the continuity of this Importance Level 4 structure which is base isolated—providing the necessary post-disaster resilience for the region and local community. Particular care was taken to ensure the appropriate seismic detailing was consistently applied to the building services, fit-out and contents, to mitigate damage during earthquakes.

The redevelopment is being undertaken within the context of a busy working hospital campus—putting extra emphasis on designs that are easy to construct, creating minimum disruption. The steel moment frame structure was designed to be prefabricated in sections and bolted together on site. The requirement for site welding and work on site has been minimised, meaning the onsite programme is far more efficient. The steelwork has also been designed such that elements can be easily transported by road or ship. This has given the contractor flexibility in the location of fabrication, allowing the structural cost to be minimised—an important saving in a big ticket, high profile project.

We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to make such a strong contribution to a building so critical to Christchurch’s future.

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre

The Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is an ambitious project, creating a large mixed-use precinct in the heart of the city. The development has a large and varied stakeholder group, including Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Christchurch City Council and the private sector—as well as the communities the centre will serve. Capable of hosting up to 2,000 delegates for a variety of national and international events, the state-of-the-art centre includes a 1,400-delegate auditorium, a 3,600m² exhibition hall and 1,600m² of meeting rooms. This is a project of significant local and national importance, delivering a vital events hub that will attract domestic, national and international visitors and events.

Holmes was brought in to handle the structural design for the convention centre, working in partnership with an overseas architect with very little experience in our market. Our designs to date have focused on delivering a robust, resilient structure that supports the Centre’s commercial ambitions—a facility that creates the right atmosphere and flow for visitors, as well as demonstrating the flexibility convention centres demand. With large wide open spaces a key deliverable, our engineers have applied their deep knowledge of long-span structures to optimise the space and functionality of the centre.

In the challenging geotechnical conditions and seismic environment, our experience was invaluable in designing a structure that will stand the test of time and form an important part of the city’s cultural and commercial landscape.

 

Checkout this very cool construction sequence video from CPB Contractors!

The Pacifica

At 57 storeys high, The Pacifica reaches through Auckland’s city skyline to offer residents and tourists broad views of the harbour while surrounded by the comforts of a bustling city.

The fire safety design for The Pacifica employed an innovative response to the challenge of smoke ingress to the fire protected stairs. Each of the two stairs is internally subdivided by fire separations to limit the potential spread of smoke. This design strategy is more effective (more reliable and with higher efficacy) and less expensive to maintain than a conventional stairway pressurisation system. Each stair is provided with the ability to exit and re-enter the alternate stair to bypass any section of the stair that is compromised by smoke or blocked by firefighter activities.

The Holmes project team designed (fire modelling) and specified an innovative stairway smoke purging system which is intended to provide clear air within the stair for firefighters. Holmes provided an innovative double-curtain fire separation, to substitute for a fixed glass fire separation wall that could not be constructed due to supply issues for fire rated glazing systems.

The fire safety design considered the specific needs of the civilian occupants during a fire emergency and firefighters’ specific needs when working in a tall building (influenced strongly by the lessons learnt from the Grenfell Tower fire in London). building-specific stair signs to provide civilians and firefighters with information specific to their situation: which stairway they are in; the floor level identification (for accurate communication when assistance is needed); where the final exit is located and the number of floors to reach either the final exit or a place in the building for interim refuge or assistance). Additional WIP phones were provided to allow fire wardens to communicate with firefighters from a place of safety and for firefighters to communicate from inside the stairs to the Fire Control Room.

Fire engineering services included:

  • fire engineering design for an Alternative Solution for Code compliance
  • design and documentation of the Fire Engineering Strategy
  • coordination of fire requirements for building services interfaces
  • performance specification for the stairway smoke control systems
  • specification of the evacuation sequencing and coordination with the Evacuation Scheme consultant
  • review of and coordination with the fire protection systems consultant and contractor
  • review of passive fire stopping details at fire separation junctions, review of submissions from the specialist passive fire contractor
  • review of the fire safety systems interfaces & commissioning programme
  • construction monitoring for the duration of the construction programme
  • witnessing of fire systems interfaces operation and evacuation system sequences operation

The Hotel Britomart

The Hotel Britomart is the first eco-friendly hotel to hit Auckland, providing the city’s thriving tourism industry with a boutique offering that seamlessly blends sustainable features into an indulgent yet comforting atmosphere. Opening its doors in mid 2020, The Hotel Britomart incorporates a new 11 storey building and the refurbished, adjoining Masonic and Buckland buildings. The hotel offers 104 rooms, mixed use commercial space and administration on the ground floor, and a gym in the basement.

As the first property company in New Zealand to join the Green Star Performance rating system, Britomart successfully achieved a 5 Green Star rating during its design and build as well as its Green Star Performance accreditation since operating. This was achieved through the choosing of sustainable materials, incorporating reused concrete and recycled water through and passive design.

This project allowed our team to provide our client with a unique level of service through our collaboration with all our Holmes engineering practices including Holmes Solutions. The team from Holmes provided valuable insight into the structural elements of the design while Holmes Solutions undertook full scale testing of the precast façade panels incorporating pieces of brick.

Rigorous cooperation with the other stakeholders was required to successfully navigate the complexities of upgrading a heritage structure to current fire standards while adhering to sustainability and design requirements. The Fire Engineering strategy for The Hotel Britomart utilised smoke modelling to assess the most effective solutions for the project. Given the hotel’s height and occupancy requirements, one of the main challenges was the single stair. Through smoke modelling and egress calculations Holmes Fire showed that the stair achieves the fire safety performance requirements. The single stair was an important part of the design as it maximised the floor area available for hotel rooms.

The refurbishment of the existing Masonic and Buckland buildings included additional structural support, fire rated separations, smoke sealing and sprinkler protection.

 

 

Isaac Theatre Royal

The Isaac Theatre Royal is one of Christchurch’s most iconic heritage buildings, and the Grade-A heritage listed theatre was badly damaged in the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. The project included the rebuild of a large portion of the structure while retaining the historic unreinforced masonry façade, ornate plaster ceiling dome and the entrance feature marble staircase.

Two major constraints on the project were the fixed $40M budget and the opening date for the first show. The theatre needed to be open for the 2014-2015 summer show season to keep key staff on. This required the design and construction to occur in two-thirds of the time of a conventional project. Holmes were the structural and fire engineers for the rebuild, and it became the first major entertainment venue to reopen for business in the CBD following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Fire Engineering

Holmes was brought into the project during construction to review the existing Fire Engineering Strategy provided by another consultant. Through performance based design we were able to present a robust solution on schedule and on budget.

The new Fire Engineering Strategy was produced within three months of engagement. The fire engineering design process also included:

  • Collaboration with the University of Canterbury to develop a new egress modelling tool for Holmes Fire use, which could undertake the buildings comprehensive egress assessment of merging crowd spaces;
  • Development of a fire strategy which considered an alternative compliance with the New Zealand Building Code in order to maintain the original architectural vision of a building designed over 100 years ago;
  • A hands-on approach to proactively integrate the Fire Strategy with the operational needs of the Theatre.
  • Consideration to Safety in Design, which included the physical practicality of installation and maintenance of the proposed fire strategy; and
  • Implementation of a complex fire and security interface which included multiple tests and training of theatre staff.

The design team had a vision of reviving the building to its original design including several key heritage features such as the auditorium dome and plaster detailing, marble stairs, and Edwardian façade. The dome and plaster detailing, in particular, relied heavily on our assessment.

Using smoke modelling tools, we were able to eliminate the need for the existing motorised smoke curtains covering the full width of the theatre adjacent to the dome. This also allowed the client to remove all of the access gantries and maintenance of the system.

Throughout the project, we were able to work collaboratively with the client to provide a unique, performance-based solution tailored specifically to the needs of the heritage building.

Structural Engineering

The tight construction period was achieved through the use of information sharing with the contractor and other consultants in the form of 3D Revit models, a close working relationship with the contractor, and looking outside the box in terms of materials (such as shotcrete) and construction sequencing.

The Theatre’s fixed budget consisted of insurance money and various grants and fundraising commitments. A key part of managing the budget was cost certainty during the design phases. The use of 3D drawings allowed the quantity surveyors to more easily identify pinch points and difficult areas, especially with regard to conflicts with heritage fabric. This helped to identify, manage and reduce these high risk cost areas throughout the project.

Nearly all the unique heritage features of this building were saved and carefully restored by skilled craftsmen—leaving the theatre in a better condition than it was pre-earthquake.

ASB North Wharf

ASB North Wharf, headquarters of ASB bank and the anchor project in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, was a first-rate example of flexible working spaces and sustainable design when it was completed in 2013. The building spans two sites, with a multi-level glazed walkway over a central public lane that provides access through to the adjacent Waterfront Theatre site. 

The ‘Activity Based Working’ design presented a number of challenges that required performance based solutions. 15 individually themed, open areas were designed for flexible working also required a flexible evacuation design flexible to allow for the building’s occupants to move between floors. By utilising a performance based approach, Holmes reduced the number of stairs required by a prescriptive solution, supporting the project’s objective to create an open and flexible layout. The evacuation plan also was designed to be flexible and utilise the open interconnecting stairs for egress in some fire scenarios.  

Sustainability was also a significant factor that influenced the design and use of the building. The addition of a ventilating funnel and controlled internal shading have assisted in the reduction of the building’s energy use by 50% and resulted in the completed building achieving NZGBC 5 Star Green Star Rating for Office Design. While the ventilation funnel provided beneficial natural lighting throughout the building, Holmes designed a smoke management system that not only aligned with the ventilation system but also avoided the need for a dedicated smoke control plant. A ‘hot smoke test’ was conducted by Holmes following the completion of the project demonstrating the strategy for smoke movement in action. 

Take a virtual tour through all 7 storeys and explore ASB North Wharf.

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

The Auckland Art Gallery is an iconic and much-loved part of the city’s cultural heritage. When the gallery needed to seismically strengthen and refurbish the buildings, including fire safety design—which were built in 1888 and 1916 respectively—they trusted the challenging work to Holmes’ expert engineers. The final part of the work was to design new space to host an ever-growing number of exhibits. This project required the technical expertise to cope with a challenging seismic ‘retrofit’, combined with the ability to match the character and style of the new space with the existing structure. The existing building – one of the oldest in Auckland – was the first municipal art gallery built in New Zealand and contains the most valuable public art collection in the country.

Retaining the building’s heritage features, sensitive refurbishment and upgrading fire safety was of utmost importance. Key features of the architectural design include the impressive four storey north atrium and the three storey south atrium. The new and refurbished parts of the building required large, interconnected open plan spaces with a high degree of openness and visual connection to adjacent galleries and atria.

Fire Safety Design

The fire safety design involved a challenging mix of conflicting aspirations. As the building has to deliver specific performance requirements, the fire safety engineered solution was equally performance-focused: innovative to suit this client and this architectural design. The regulators expressed concern about the number of design issues that were required to vary from ‘standard fire approaches’ and insisted on an extreme level of engineering justification. Holmes responded with engineering design solutions that addressed the significant challenges of this unique architectural masterpiece.

The fire engineering brief evolved over five years, with contributions from art curators, gallery event managers, international exhibition advisors, architects, security consultants, structural and mechanical services engineers, Fire Service and Auckland Council regulatory reviewers. The final fire safety strategy successfully achieved the outcomes required by the fire engineering brief.

Holmes used computational fluid dynamics analysis to model smoke movement and also evaluated the movement of people in a fire emergency, using a variety of engineering building use scenarios for safety and robustness. The primary public circulation routes are also used as principal fire egress routes (allowing fewer dedicated egress stairs than prescriptive regulatory requirements). Holmes coordinated a detailed review of fire protection requirements in all areas storing and displaying art. Holmes designed the systems controlling fire and smoke spread to protect the building, the art collections and the building occupants. ‘Standard’ solutions for exit signage and security on exit doors were modified to suit the specific requirements for this building.

Seismic Strengthening

The seismic strengthening work started rigorous assessment of the building’s structural needs, drawing on market-leading modelling technology to identify potential weaknesses. The strengthening solution focused on minimising the impact on existing heritage features, creating a robust, resilient structure for the future. The new space included three galleries and two new roof level sculpture terraces, and the addition of a three storey glass atrium structure with a tension rod façade system and tree-like canopies that define and cover the entry forecourt, atrium and gallery areas.

Auckland War Memorial Museum

Tāmaki Paenga Hira/Auckland War Memorial Museum is one of New Zealand’s iconic heritage buildings. It is a treasured part of Auckland’s cultural heritage, ‘telling the story of New Zealand’ to a huge number of local, national and international visitors. It’s a site of enormous cultural significance, occupying a commanding position on Auckland’s skyline.

When the structure of the museum needed to be seismically strengthened and modernised, Holmes technical design experts were the logical choice. Our design of this multi-award winning project integrated dramatic architectural and engineering features into a world class facility, bringing a national heritage building into the 21st century.

Structural Strengthening and Fire Design

The museum redevelopment was delivered in two major stages over 12 years. The first stage comprised a well-crafted refurbishment of the existing Historic Places Category I building and exhibition design for all of the gallery spaces. Significant earthquake strengthening and securing works were also undertaken, carefully integrated with existing heritage spaces to preserve the elements that make the building so distinctive and compelling.

The second stage, the Grand Atrium Project, delivered an ambitious, four storey, seven hundred tonne suspended building within the existing courtyard.  An adjacent two-level underground visitor car park was also developed, and overall floor space was increased by 60%. Two storage and curatorial basements were added beneath the stunning ground floor atrium. By utilising a wide variety of performance-based fire engineering design methods, specifically tailored to the constraints imposed by the building’s configuration and uses, Holmes optimised the performance of the egress routes within the addition, minimised the amount of applied fire proofing needed for the structural steelwork and verified the extensive use of architectural timber lining.

Finally, teaching and performance spaces situated within the suspended ‘bowl’ are crowned by the spectacular events centre, under the feature wave dome roof.

Holmes’ engineering services enabled the architect’s original vision for the project to be realised with a minimum of compromise and in a manner that significantly exceeded the client’s expectations.

RRSIC – Ernest Rutherford Stage 1

RRSIC Stage 1 project was the larger and more technically challenging of the two stages of the Rutherford Regional Science and Innovation Centre. With a total project budget of $216 million for Stages 1 and 2, the new centre will provide accommodation for the College of Science, along with an unprecedented resource for the Canterbury region.

Minimisation of fire separation to reduce fire rating to services and penetrations was critical to the client and architectural vision for an open and connected teaching environment. This also contributed to ease of construction, reduced construction cost and minimising future maintenance requirements for the building.

During the period between design approval and completion of the building the fire design withstood several changes to the building design with minimal implications. This demonstrated the risk consideration/robustness approach to the final functionality and buildability applied to the final fire design, while still minimising ‘over design’. The fire design gave the other consultants and client and confidence to design and not mandate or constrict their solutions.

The design stages were delivered on time and on budget, with active involvement through the extended construction period required by Fletchers.

Holmes also provided structural fire analysis using finite element methods to demonstrate the capacity of specific structural members.

Australis Nathan Building

These historic buildings, built in 1903 and 1904 were originally warehouse and storefronts for importers and merchants, fast forward over 110 years and these have been transformed to bring these heritage buildings back to life. Australis House and the Nathan Building was an ambitious refurbishment combining the two buildings to function as a single structure and repurposed them to include high end retail, hospitality and office spaces. These buildings had strong character with a combination of cast iron columns, heavy timber columns and beams, timber floors with herringbone bracing and impressive brickwork.  

Our brief on this project was to avoid providing ceilings beneath these floors and encasing these columns in order to celebrate these features. Our performance-based design solution involved a combination of sprinkler installation, assessment of inherent timber strength and application of clear intumescent coatings to achieve sufficient fire separations within the building and achieve Building Code compliance.

B:Hive Smales Farm

B:Hive is taking commercial space to a new level offering shared office space that is fresh, vibrant and architecturally impressive! This new build construction has seven levels in total. One basement level (below ground) for car parking, one on-grade ground floor level which provides hospitality tenancy spaces, meeting room and breakout spaces, entry foyer and reception for the offices above. Above this are four levels of serviced office space leased on highly flexible short term and long term basis. The top-most level is dedicated for plant and building services.  

The 11,000 square metre building incorporates a diverse mix of office uses, with a mix of dedicated and shared spaces. It has the ability to house businesses from 10 to 310 employees per floor: from small startups to established corporates. 

Two features key to the design flexibility and interactive working environment are the open atrium and stair interconnecting all office levels and the ability for tenants to use flexi-space with up to 50% more occupants than a standard office building design. Using a novel smoke control strategy developed collaboratively with the day-to-day ventilation design, Holmes justified a fire safety solution which avoided the need for fire curtains or smoke separations around the atrium.

Pier B Extension, Auckland International Airport

Auckland Airport has a number of expansion phases planned and underway on its International Terminal. The expansion of Pier B added two new gates (17 & 18), increasing the number of international aircraft using the airport. The 190-metre extension enables Pier B with the flexibility to accommodate a total of four A380 or eight smaller A320 aircraft at any time. In addition, the Pier B bus lounge was expanded from two boarding gates to four, to allow greater ability to board flights using aircraft located away from the terminal.

The project challenge for Holmes was the delivery of the construction phase in five stages, whilst maintaining the continuous operation of the airport for commuters and staff alike. Construction involved temporarily relocating the principal three main egress stairs for Pier B and then reinstating these into the permanent design. All of this needed to be undertaken without adding significant cost through temporary works.

Working with interim strategies is a frequent request of our clients, where we need to strategise closely with our project stakeholders, ensuring smooth transition of construction through to operation whilst meeting adequate safety requirements through the entire process. In doing this we take to time to understand the constraints and provide options to ensure the most workable solutions are adopted.

Using performance-based design solutions for the project provided a more efficient egress design including reduced construction costs for the client where we enabled the elimination of stairs that were part of previous fire strategies.

Feature New Zealand landscape artwork and sculpture is also incorporated to the design, welcoming guests to this area of the international terminal which has also been fitted out with a new retail store and food and beverage outlet. Feature ceilings provided challenges to our fire protection design to ensure that sprinklers were installed to operate effectively, and without compromising the aesthetics.

Blyth Performing Arts Centre

The new Blyth Performing Arts Centre at Iona College, Hawkes Bay sits proudly near the entry to the school. The building houses a 400 seat auditorium, entry foyer and associated back of house and support facilities essential for a performing arts centre environment. The building adopts the use of timber throughout, adding warmth to both the performance space and the building’s exterior. The asymmetric and gracefully curved roof of the building further adds an embracing character to the acoustically refined space.

Holmes undertook a Fire Engineering Briefing (FEB) process for the Performing Arts Centre building, to establish the key parameters for the fire design from relevant project stakeholders prior to the building consent stage. Identified during the briefing process, the fire engineering design also considered the school’s intentions for a future additional stage of works to extend the centre’s facilities.

We provided Performance-Based Engineering design services for the building, which included smoke and egress modelling to determine fire safety compliance within the auditorium and foyer spaces.  This enabled the design to optimise the number and width of egress routes provided within the building, in turn enabling higher utilisation of floor area for public and support activities.  The location and extent of passive fire separations was carefully considered throughout the building to minimise the impact that these would have on theatre functionality and maintenance. Liaison with the local fire brigade also was critical to achieving appropriate fire fighting facilities, whilst minimising the impact of the relevant equipment on the welcoming aesthetic of the building.

Middlemore Hospital MHU

Holmes is provided fire engineering services for a new mental health facility at Middlemore Hospital. The building is comprised of sleeping wards as well as activity spaces, office and administration areas. As part of the design process, extensive communication was undertaken with the hospital to meet its needs, including accommodating for phased construction that allows for the facility’s continued operational use. Our design achieves the desired open architectural layout, deviating from more restrained institutional aesthetics.

Discrete exit signage has been incorporated to reduce stimulation to the residents in the building on a day-to-day basis, while functioning effectively in the event of a fire. Additionally, reduced fire resistance ratings to sleeping rooms have been incorporated; this assisted other aspects of the building design, including security and anti-ligature requirements while limiting the number of occupants exposed to a potential fire and meeting the requirements of the NZ Building Code.

Aurora Centre (56 The Terrace)

The Aurora Centre project in central Wellington involved the redevelopment and structural strengthening of Unisys House, the demolition and rebuild of the adjacent Aurora Chambers and a new five storey addition over the existing Aurora Terrace carpark. This existing 20 level building constructed in 1968 was gutted back to its concrete structure and redeveloped along with the construction of a new seismically isolated 9 level building next door. The end result was over 25,000 m² (270,000 sqft) of commercial office, retail and carparking.

The project has provided a structurally robust, functional and compelling new home for the Ministry of Social Development. The redevelopment of the buildings redefines their profile and purpose, including seamless connections between the structurally separate components, creating a cohesive and integrated complex.

Fire Engineering

22,000 m² (240,000 sqft) on levels 1-19 were occupied by a single Government tenant there was a need to incorporate new internal circulation stairs that linked levels 3-18. The stairs were able to be open across a total of 11 of those levels without the use of mechanical smoke control systems.

The constraints for the existing structure meant a focus of the fire engineering design was to be able to utilise the existing stairs that did not comply in geometry to current Code. Holmes had previously carried out a fully filmed and documented egress study for the building (as part of an employee’s PhD study) which was able to be used to understand how the occupants (over 2000 of them) used the existing stairs under evacuation conditions. This deep knowledge of the building was crucial in developing a solution that satisfied building officials and the Government tenant.

The age of the building meant that at the outset the building sat outside the new-Code standard and on that basis the redevelopment was able to deliver a modern and new-Code-compliant building with substantial fire safety upgrades—a significant and effectively ‘new’ for the building owner.

Structural Engineering: An NZ first—Fluid Viscous Dampers

The development has showcased technical expertise and innovation in engineering design elements. Most notably, the Aurora Centre demonstrates the first use of Fluid Viscous Dampers as part of the seismic strengthening of an existing building in New Zealand. These were used as the primary strengthening mechanism for the 18 storey tower building, and act as shock absorbers to dramatically decrease earthquake-induced motion.

Retrofitting the dampers into the existing tower structure brought it to 90% of the New Building Standard (an A+ seismic grade). In addition to the Fluid Viscous Dampers, our team developed a new concrete encased steel (CES) column assessment methodology to better understand and assess the seismic performance of the existing structure and its interaction with the proposed damper strengthening proposal.

This technically challenging project has resulted in significantly improved buildings, not only in terms of appearance and functionality but also in regard to seismic resilience.

Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct

As the first ‘anchor project’ delivered in the rebuild of the Christchurch CBD after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, the Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct will always be remembered as a project of national significance. It is the first multi-agency government co-location project in New Zealand’s history. The forward-thinking design brings together all of the region’s critical services, including the Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Police, Department of Corrections, New Zealand Fire Service, St John New Zealand, and the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, to name a few—and accommodates an estimated 2,000 workers daily.

Holmes provided the fire and structural engineering for this innovative new precinct.

Fire Engineering

Holmes carried out not only the general fire engineering services for the team but also advanced structural fire analyses for the project, specifically the Justice Building. The fire engineering team who delivered the project remained together for the entire five year design and construction period. This continuity of service typifies Holmes’ approach to major projects and allowed the Client (Ministry of Justice) to achieve a fantastic result with continuity of the design and consultancy team.

From a structural perspective, the building has stringent requirements of structural robustness for seismic and fire resistance, due to the Emergency Operations Centre located in the Emergency Services Building – this is the centre for emergency response and coordination in the event of a natural disaster. The design of an Emergency Communications Centre (effectively a nationwide 111/000/911 call centre) was also required to have continuous occupation and operation in the event of a fire within any other part of the building.

A series of advanced analyses using non-linear finite element analysis was carried out by Holmes to test the robustness and stability of the structure in fire conditions. The analysis consisted of 3D modelling of the structural frame under exposure of a realistic fire, looking at its effect on each structural component. Unique and specialist 3D modelling inputs allowed the structural design to be safely optimised, whilst avoiding over-design. The resulting analysis demonstrated that the concrete filled steel hollow section columns and the secondary steel beams did not require additional passive fire protection. This provided significant cost savings for the project through the reduction of passive fire protection to the beams and columns.

This structure needed to not only resist fire but also be immediately operational post-emergency events. As a specialist design and project for Holmes, the technical detail of the fire safety of its smoke control system throughout the five level atrium, through to its specialist structural fire analysis is an exemplary example of how consultancy can be co-ordinated and managed to offer the most advanced fire safety response to serve an advanced function in not only its building design, but its users.

Structural Engineering

The precinct consists of four, four storey towers supported on a common base isolated podium structure. The base isolated podium we designed aims to mitigate structural and non-structural damage following a major earthquake and ensure continued functionality of the facility. This was an extremely challenging design brief that we were delighted to take on—an important and positive project in Christchurch’s rebuild.

Commercial Bay | Te Toki i te Rangi

Commercial Bay is the largest mixed-use development ever undertaken in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) CBD. The project combines two existing office towers with a new three level high-end retail complex and a new 39 level commercial tower—all above three levels of basement car parking and two train tunnels, with associated major complexities and structural transfers. Holmes was the Lead Structural Engineer on this important project, as well as providing fire and infrastructure engineering.

Structural Engineering 

The architecture of the flagship 39 level Commercial Bay tower in downtown Tāmaki Makaurau celebrates and showcases the structural form of the building. Working closely with the architect and the wider project team, Holmes designed visually striking columns and diagonal braces, which are clad to express and accentuate the structure. The structural system of the tower consists of a diagrid structure, featuring composite concrete filled hollow section steel tube columns and braces and long span beams.

In a large complex project with many stakeholders and challenges, the Commercial Bay tower is an example of a well-coordinated structure, underpinned by great BIM execution and a willingness for project partners to work through challenges collaboratively. This result was achieved through excellent continuous ongoing collaboration and communication between project stakeholders—particularly the architect and the structural engineers. Weekly exchanges of Revit files via a shared FTP site ensured well-coordinated Revit models and delivered a clear accurate picture of progress.

The penetrations through the floor slab were modelled in the structural slab, and penetrations for building services were incorporated into the structural steelwork floor beams. Across the project, regular meetings, ongoing communication and open, positive discussions ensured alignment and synergy through the design process.

With a premier site overlooking the harbour, Commercial Bay is already an iconic landmark on the Tāmaki Makaurau foreshore and skyline.

Fire Engineering

Holmes provided fire engineering advice for the entire development, including master-planning to allow for future subdivision of the entire block into four discrete separate properties. The fire engineering allows for separate phased evacuation and independent commissioning and ownership of fire protection systems serving the retail centre and the office tower. Holmes was also engaged to provided advice to almost all of the retail and office tenants, to integrate their specific tenancy fitout design with the overall base building fire engineering strategy.

Holmes was also engaged to provide specialist structural fire engineering services to rationalise the passive fire protection requirements of the entire tower. Advanced finite element modelling was undertaken to analyse the response of the whole floor and megaframe in fire. The analysis demonstrated the robustness of the whole structural frame in resisting a full burnout fire. The resulting analysis showed the composite columns and secondary beams did not require passive protection and a reduced FRL could be applied for the primary beams. The analysis was peer reviewed by Professor Jose Torero who is a renowned international expert in structural fire engineering.

This resulted in major savings on site with regard to project timeframes, labour and material costs, and the improved aesthetic and air quality within the space. The costs savings in fire proofing alone was estimated to be approximately NZ $4M.

City Rail Link Tunnels

The City Rail Link (CRL) runs beneath the Commercial Bay site on the Auckland CBD waterfront. Holmes, as part of a Fletcher Construction Design and Build Team, were responsible for the structural engineering design and documentation of the portion through the Commercial Bay site for the owner Precinct Properties and key stakeholder Auckland Transport. This separate CRL tunnel portion ties into the two adjacent enabling C1 contracts, C1 (Britomart Station) and C2 (Albert St).

The two box tunnels are on a curved alignment and merge into a twin tunnel box within the site. Separation of the tunnels from the surrounding development and the transfer of loads from the multi-storey office tower above were among the considerable challenges involved. The CRL box tunnels are constructed within the Commercial Bay basement area, with the structure of the development forming an enclosure over the top of them. Tension piles resist hydrostatic pressures on the base of the tunnels. The cast insitu tunnel base, walls and roof were formed using moveable formwork. The tunnels were designed for IL3 loads, with a 100-year design life.

ASB Waterfront Theatre

Located in Auckland’s popular Wynyard Quarter, ASB Waterfront Theatre is the first theatre in the Southern Hemisphere to be targeting a 5 Green Star rating for efficiency and sustainability. Offering a 650 seat theatre, it features a glass walled air bridge linking the theatre to the ASB Bank. The public artworks within the theatre have become a major attraction of the building’s design with one of the works featuring 10,000 LED lights, creating an image visible through the theatre’s glass wall.

The building was redesigned in 2012 after an initial preliminary design phase was put on hold. The new design was one of the first buildings in New Zealand to adopt the new C/VM2 Verification method for quantified performance based design. This new design approach was significant, as it allowed Holmes to develop a solution that did not require smoke detection nor a dedicated smoke extract system. This is of huge benefit to a performing arts theatre as it eliminates the risk of false activation of smoke detectors and smoke control systems as theatre effects use haze, dry ice, and artificial smoke. This solution also avoids the need to have an ‘isolate’ facility on the smoke detection and fire alarm system eliminating the need for the stage manager to monitor haze effects and other theatre-created environments which typically play havoc with smoke detection systems. Designing a fire compliant solution without a dedicated smoke extract system, activated with hatches and doors, avoided the inevitable potential compromise into what otherwise needs to be an acoustically sealed auditorium.

Key parts of the steel structure were assessed for adequate fire resistance without the need for passive fire protection, saving on construction cost.

First human entry to the Christ Church Cathedral!

In case you missed it—last week, after more than two years of strengthening work, humans were finally given the all clear to safely enter the Ōtautahi (Christchurch) Christ Church Cathedral for the first time since Urban Search and Rescue in 2011, post earthquake!

As part of the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project team, our very own Manager of Structures South, Peter Carney, was one of two people (pictured) to enter the site.

Prior to human entry, ‘Spot’ the remote-controlled robot dog, drones, and an impressive remote-controlled digger were the only technologies to have entered the Cathedral—as part of the Reinstatement Project. So it was a true privilege and honour for Pete to be one of the first humans to enter this site!

Our team of expert structural engineers and drafters are proud to be part of the team helping deliver this important ‘Rebuild Christchurch’ project. The Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited (CCRL) was established in August 2018 with the sole purpose of reinstating Christ Church Cathedral. Holmes is proud to be working alongside Keith Paterson (CRRL’s Project Director), the team at Naylor Love, Rawlinsons, Warren and Mahoney, and Heritage Professionals William Fulton and Jenny May.

[Image credit: © Tom Cuthbert \ Belmont].

Read more here: First human entry into Cathedral since 2011 (christchurchcathedral.org.nz)

 

Holmes Announces Two Sustainability Leaders

We’re super excited to announce we have appointed two Sustainability Leaders to drive our commitment to sustainability forward—and embed sustainable design principles into our Practices at Holmes.

Sustainability is a hugely important topic to Holmes, and because it is so broad it requires a considered response to ensure that we can drive meaningful change. These new roles at Holmes will be focused on the areas of sustainability where our influence and contribution can have the most impact with our Clients and on our projects.

Megan Stringer (from Holmes US) and Lisa Oliver (from Holmes Australia & New Zealand) are Holmes’ first Sustainability Leaders. We’re very lucky to have two people of such great experience, quality and knowledge leading our Sustainability efforts, and we wanted to introduce and celebrate them!

Megan is an Associate Principal with Holmes and works out of our San Francisco office. Motivated by our impact on the built environment, Megan is at the forefront of reducing structural embodied carbon for Holmes US and the broader industry. She champions Holmes’ commitment to SE 2050 and has contributed to many sustainability focused projects. She has overseen mass timber construction for a range of projects, including North America’s largest (Microsoft Silicon Valley), low-carbon concrete pours at Intuit, and has completed many life-cycle assessments across a range of structures. She also speaks at conferences, writes articles, and is the current President of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California! .

Lisa is a Project Director with Holmes and works out of our Christchurch office. She is also deeply involved in the world of Sustainability, and has led the NZ Sustainable Design team for a number of years. She became a Green Star accredited professional (the first for Holmes!) more than a decade ago. Lisa has also been involved in the SESOC Sustainable Design Task Force, and has contributed to many papers, committees and conferences. Responsible and sustainable use of materials is vital, and Lisa has worked on many mass timber projects in NZ and has promoted the broad adoption of timber on Holmes projects. She was also recently on Radio NZ to talk about structural engineering and sustainability – check it out!

Megan and Lisa will be working closely with Hamish Nevile (Global Director of Design, Holmes Group) to help enhance our current commitment to sustainability and support our clients and projects achieve their own sustainability goals.

Congrats, Megan and Lisa!

Megan Stringer

Holmes US

Lisa Oliver

Holmes ANZ

#ONEHOLMES

We have exciting news! From July 1, 2022, Holmes Fire and Holmes Consulting are coming together to provide the same expert services we currently offer in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia—operating as one business across both countries. We’re also working even more closely together globally, with one Holmes Executive Team leading Holmes internationally.

For our clients and partners, it means our specialist services are better connected and integrated, and Holmes is structured to deliver you even more value, quality and responsiveness. We’re also better positioned to support our clients as technology, markets and opportunities evolve.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, Holmes Fire and Holmes Consulting is combining our three connected specialist Practices. “Holmes NZ” now delivers Fire, Structures, and Infrastructure engineering, while “Holmes Australia” continues to deliver premium fire engineering services to the Australian market. Holmes NZ also continues to extend its reach into the Netherlands, delivering advanced seismic assessment and structural engineering.

In the USA, Holmes offers premium engineering services across thriving Structures, Fire and Residential Practices, with strong links to Holmes in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. While our friends at Holmes Solutions continues to deliver world-leading international product development and testing from offices in Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA—with key connections into the wider Holmes Group.

As always, the team at Holmes is committed to delivering quality and value in everything we do, wherever we do it. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon.

John Hare, Hamish Nevile, Stuart Harris, Glen Mitchell, Sam Cooper, and the Holmes team in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

2022 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards

We’re proud to have been involved in 12 different award-winning projects!

Last Friday our team were honoured to attend the 2022 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards held in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).

The Property Industry Awards is the most prestigious property awards in Aotearoa New Zealand—celebrating excellence in design and innovation in the built environment for over 20 years. They showcase iconic projects in property development and investment across a broad range of sectors and design disciplines, as well as recognising outstanding projects, developments and refurbishments. The award winners are the best of the best; projects that provide an outstanding return or delivery of service potential on investment of funds, creating value for owners, tenants, and the wider community.

Holmes is a proud sponsor of the awards, regularly sponsoring the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award.

At this year’s awards we’re excited to celebrate the achievements of our project partners, where our Fire Engineer Practice team and our Structures Engineering Practice team were involved in 11 unique and well-deserving projects!

Te Pae Convention Centre Christchurch [Image credit: Lightforge].
Our team of talented engineers and drafters were part of the following category winning collaborations:

  • Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, submitted by Ōtākaro Limited (Category Winner for the Warren & Mahoney Civic, Health & Arts Property Award)
  • The Rise, Auckland, submitted by Broadway Property Group (Category Winner for the Yardi Retail Property Award)
  • Generator NZ, Wellington, submitted by Precinct Properties New Zealand (Category Winner for the Naylor Love Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award)
  • Generator NZ, Wellington, submitted by Precinct Properties New Zealand (Category Winner for the RCP Commercial Office Property Award Winner)
Selwyn Sports Centre, Rolleston.

Additional awards of significance:

  • Wakefield Hospital – Stage 1, submitted by Vital Healthcare Property Trust (Excellence Award for the Warren & Mahoney Civic, Health & Arts Property Award)
  • Aotea – Te Pokapū Aotea Centre, submitted by NZ Strong Group Limited (Merit Award for the Warren & Mahoney Civic, Health & Arts Property Award)
  • 22 The Terrace, Wellington, submitted by Stride Property Group (Excellence Award for the RCP Commercial Office Property Award)
  • St Georges Road, Auckland, submitted by Kalmar Construction, Miles Construction, Ministry of Architecture + Interiors and Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities (Excellence Award for the Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Community and Affordable Housing Property Award)
  • Busby Street, Auckland, submitted by Miles Construction, RM Designs and Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities (Merit Award for the Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Community and Affordable Housing Property Award)
  • Generator NZ, Wellington, submitted by Precinct Properties New Zealand (Excellence Award for the Resene Green Building Property Award)
  • 22 The Terrace, Wellington, submitted by Stride Property Group (Excellence Award for the Resene Green Building Property Award)
  • 30 Madden, Auckland, submitted by Willis Bond (Excellence Award for the Templeton Group Multi-Unit Residential Property Award)
  • Kōkihi, Auckland, submitted by Marutūāhu Iwi and Ockham Residential (Merit Award for the Award for the Templeton Group Multi-Unit Residential Property Award)
  • Cordis Hotel, Auckland, submitted by Great Eagle Development (Category Winner for the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award)
  • Selwyn Sports Centre, Rolleston, submitted by Apollo Projects (Merit Award for the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award)

 

Read about all the winners here on the Property Council New Zealand’s website.

Collaboration is key for Ōtautahi (Christchurch’s) latest endeavour

Holmes is proud to be a member of the Kōtui consortium working on the design and construction of Te Kaha, a new multi-use arena in Ōtautahi (Christchurch). The $683M state-of-the-art arena will be located in central Ōtautahi, Canterbury and is jointly funded by Christchurch City Council and the Crown’s Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Fund. The arena will be able to hold over 30,000 spectators and aims to add to the city’s vibrant lifestyle while establishing Ōtautahi as a sporting and cultural centre within Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.

Led by BESIX Watpac, Kōtui brings together companies from Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond with expertise and experience in stadium design. The Kōtui team and other consultants working on this project include:

Architect: Populous
Subcontractor and Kōtui team member: Southbase Construction
Architect: WARREN AND MAHONEY
Land Surveying: Graham Surveying Ltd
Security Risk Assessment: Intelligent Risks
Sports Turf Consultant: SSDM Blair Cornthwaite
Engineering: Mott MacDonald
Waste Management Specialist: Eunomia Research & Consulting
Landscape Architecture / Urban Designer: LandLAB_
Geotechnical Engineering: Golder

Holmes is providing a complete range of services including Fire Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Passive Fire Protection, and Structural Fire Engineering for this iconic project. We’re eager to be working with such a diverse and experienced team who give us the opportunity to develop and build new relationships while also working with some of our established partners and contributing to the rich history in Ōtautahi.

The Design & Construct contract was recently signed by BESIX Watpac, with work on site already been commenced—as the Kōtui consortium, council, and other important stakeholders work closely together, to deliver an arena worthy of Ōtautahi (Christchurch’s) growing entertainment scene by 2026.

Commercial Bay – shortlisted for the prestigious World Architecture Festival 2022

An incredible 15 Aotearoa New Zealand projects are in the line-up for this year’s World Architecture Festival!

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) represents the world’s largest live-judged architectural awards programme and amongst this year’s 420 shortlisted projects 15 come from right here in Aotearoa New Zealand!

Holmes is absolutely thrilled to see our project, Commercial Bay, has been shortlisted for the category ‘Shopping’. Our team of Structural and Fire Engineers helped deliver the architectural vision of Commercial Bay’s collaborative architectural designers: Woods Bagot, WARREN AND MAHONEY and NH Architecture. Congratulations to them on this stellar nomination and the honour of being shortlisted—it’s an incredible achievement!

You can read more here: World Architecture Festival 2022 shortlist revealed – 15 New Zealand projects are in the line-up | Architecture Now

 

Going Green: Sustainability in engineering. An interview with Lisa Oliver, Project Director

‘For returning Kiwi with offshore experience in sustainability and design there has never been a better opportunity to bring those skills home and get involved in a wide variety of projects.’

Lisa Oliver, Project Director here at Holmes was recently interviewed by Kea New Zealand about her passion for mass timber design, her involvement in sustainability, and how Aotearoa New Zealand is well placed to lead the repurposing and strengthening of existing buildings.

Read her interesting insights and where structural engineering has taken her (and her family!) in the world here: Lisa’s Kea Interview

 

Assessing buildings after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

We’re the IStructE Supreme Award winners for 2021

It doesn’t get more prestigious than this!

Our entry won not only our category for ‘Structural Heritage’ but also the highly coveted and exclusive Supreme Award, at the 2021 Structural Awards by The Institution of Structural Engineers.

Established in 1968, the Structural Awards are the world’s leading awards for structural engineering excellence. Winning both of these prestigious awards is an incredible achievement for everyone here at Holmes who worked on this exciting but challenging project that won–The Christchurch Town Hall. And our team of experts were not only the structural engineers but also the fire engineers for this important restoration project.

This conservation project demanded a full spectrum of technically complex structural and geotechnical solutions. Solving ground stabilisation issues and predicting the future performance of the structure and foundations were achieved through detailed analysis and intensive co-ordination between the geotechnical and structural engineers.

Complex analysis was employed to minimise the strengthening work required for the superstructure. The result preserves the original character and style of the building and protects the existing fabric – a positive both for sustainability and our client–Christchurch City Council.

The Judges commented, “This project is an excellent example of what structural engineers can bring to a devastated existing building. By understanding its behaviour and failure, the team was able to repair and preserve this important structure”.

Special thanks goes to our fantastic team of project partners as well:
Client: Christchurch City Council
Architect: WARREN AND MAHONEY
Principal Contractor: Hawkins
Commercial Manager: Rider Levett Bucknall
Geotechnical Engineer: Tonkin + Taylor
Quantity Surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall

JUDGES’ COMMENT

Acclaimed for its architecture and acoustics, Christchurch Town Hall is a local landmark. Following devastating earthquakes in 2010 and  2011, the original building required significant structural repair and strengthening of the supporting foundations. This conservation project demanded a full spectrum of technically complex structural and geotechnical solutions. Ground stabilisation issues were solved and the future performance of the structure and foundations was predicted through detailed analysis and intensive co-ordination between the geotechnical and structural engineers. Complex analysis was employed to minimise the strengthening work required for the superstructure. The result preserves the original character and style of the building and protects the existing fabric – a positive both for sustainability and the client. This project is an excellent example of what structural engineers can bring to a devastated existing building. By understanding its behaviour and failure, the team was able to repair and preserve this important structure.

 

View the full list of 2021 IStructE Award Winners here.

Take a sneak peek of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre

Lockdown has put a pause on the opening of Te Pae (more than once!), but we’re just as excited to see this impressive NZ $475M convention centre completed and open to the public soon.

Te Pae, Christchurch’s new Convention and Exhibition Centre, is an ambitious project, creating a large mixed-use precinct in the heart of the city. The development has a large and varied stakeholder group, including Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Christchurch City Council, and the private sector—as well as the communities the centre will serve. Capable of hosting up to 2,000 delegates for a variety of national and international events, the state of the art centre includes a 1,400-delegate auditorium, a 3,600m² exhibition hall and 1,600m² of meeting rooms. This is a project of significant local and national importance, delivering a vital events hub that will attract domestic, national and international visitors and events.

In the challenging geotechnical conditions and seismic environment, our experience has been invaluable in designing a structure to stand the tests of time and form an important part of the city’s cultural and commercial landscape.

Client: Ōtākaro Limited
Main Contractor: CPB Contractors
Architects: Woods Bagot, WARREN AND MAHONEY
Structural Engineering: Holmes Consulting (NZ)
Geotech and Civil: Tonkin + Taylor
Services Engineers: WSP in New Zealand

Our client Ōtākaro Ltd. has released a sneak peek inside the nearly-completed building, take a look:

Commercial Bay wins Supreme Award at SESOC 2021

Exciting news, Commercial Bay won the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence 2021 at the Structural Engineering Society NZ (SESOC) Awards.

We are very proud of our team and our project partners that worked together to create a truly outstanding result. Commercial Bay isn’t just an incredible feat of engineering but an impressive mixed-use space like no other in New Zealand.

The project team included:

Client: Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited
Contractor: Fletcher Construction
Architects: WARREN AND MAHONEY (in association with Woods Bagot and NH Architecture)
Project Managers: RCP
Quantity Surveyors: RLB Pentad Quantity Surveyors
Building Services Consultant: NDYLIGHT
Geotechnical Consultant: Tonkin + Taylor
Fire Engineer: Holmes Fire

Congratulations to all the other projects and teams who won awards on the night.

Award-winning projects from Holmes: 2021 Interior Awards

Holmes is excited to be part of three fantastic projects that won at the 2021 Interior Awards:

Congratulations to our project partners and all the winners at this year’s awards.

Commercial Bay, Auckland

©Samuel Hartnett and Petra Leary

Auckland Museum Grand Atrium

Top: Commercial Bay
Bottom: The Hotel Britomart

Auckland War Memorial Museum

Who runs the (engineering) world

A Holmes Fire Engineer is a challenger to the expected, motivated to find the best solution for all, and is curious in the face of a new problem. 

Making up nearly 15% of our current team, the women at Holmes have played an important role in our success across Australia, New Zealand and the US. From graduate roles to branch managers, Holmes firmly believes in giving women the tools and support they need to reach their professional goals. As the industry continues to expand and engineering becomes a more common career choice for women, we believe that we have been extremely fortunate to find the right engineers for our team so far but also look forward to discovering talented female fire engineers to join us.

This International Women in Engineering Day #INWED2021, we’ve chosen to shine the spotlight on a few of the women engineers in our Leadership team. In each of their roles and as engineers, they’ve brought their own talents, skills and drive to the table to support Holmes and the wider team as mentors, educators, problem-solvers and luminaries.

Click on their images below to find out a little more about each of these inspiring women.

Sarnia Rusbridge

Project Director

Sydney AU

Kathryn Devine

Business Manager | Project Director

Auckland NZ

Keryn Goble

Project Director

Auckland NZ

Alyson Blair, Senior Fire Engineer Downtown

Alyson Blair

Senior Fire Engineer

San Francisco US

10 years on, take a peek inside the Christ Church Cathedral

At this stage it isn’t safe for anyone to go inside the Christ Church Cathedral due to the risk of falling materials, debris, and the potential for it to collapse. This drone footage, captured by engineers, has been invaluable for architects, heritage professionals, engineers, and contractors to view the interior and assess the damage without the need to endanger lives.

The current condition inside the cathedral is clearly shown in the drone footage (captured by Beca) and gives us an indication of where the structural damage is more severe. It allows us and our project partners to better determine and understand the Cathedral, and to help direct this important reinstatement project!

Watch the full video below, narrated by Heritage Professional and expert Jenny May.

Watch the guided virtual tour now!

 

The Aotearoa New Zealand Interior Awards for 2020

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Following its successful opening to the public earlier this year, the design team and stakeholders of Commercial Bay celebrated another win as New Zealand’s Interior Awards 2020 winner. The prominent project was honoured for its “dynamic and expressive interior” taking home the Civic Award and the Supreme Award.

This project required a significant commitment from our team to pursue excellence for one of Auckland’s largest projects for 2020 as well as extensive hours spent on analysis, modelling and project meetings. Our Auckland team has been enjoying the well-deserved recognition and popularity that Commercial Bay has been experiencing since it opened, within the industry and with the public –  as well as personally enjoying some of the retail and dining options available!

View the design team’s winning presentation through at ArchitectureNow.

Wellington Architecture Awards – shortlist announced

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The Wellington branch of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) recently released the list of finalist project for the Wellington Architecture Awards 2020. Holmes is delighted to announce that from the 43 projects chosen for the shortlist, our Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) team has delivered Fire Engineering and Fire Protection services for 10 projects! With the elevated level of architecture and design currently in the market, it is a source of pride that these projects have been chosen and a credit to our Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) team for delivering the high level of fire and life safety required in conjunction with the project teams involved. 

Antipodes Skincare Heritage Refurbishment by Architecture Workshop

Category: Commercial Architecture and Heritage
Service: Fire Engineering + Fire Protection

Bowen State Building by Warren and Mahoney Architect

Category: Commercial Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

FNZ Office Fit-out by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects (Wellington studio)

Category: Interior Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Forsyth Barr Workplace by Warren and Mahoney Architects

Category: Interior Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Harbour City Centre Annexe by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects (Wellington studio)

Category: Heritage
Service: Fire Engineering

Housing NZ, Hanson St by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects (Wellington studio)

Category: Housing Multi-unit
Service: Fire Engineering + Fire Protection

Mahara Place Redevelopment by Athfield Architects and Boffa Miskel

Category: Planning & Urban Design
Service: Fire Engineering

Maru at Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington by Athfield Architects

Category: Education and Interior Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Site 10 by Athfield Architects

Category: Commercial Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Waitohi–Johnsonville Library and Community Hub by Athfield Architects

Category: Interior Architecture and Public Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering + Fire Protection

Congratulations to everyone involved in these projects, we look forward to seeing the results later this year.

Visit ArchitectureNow to view the full list of finalists for 2020.

Celebrating diversity at Holmes

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We know diversity and inclusion is a significant opportunity to build stronger, more creative, more resilient teams at Holmes. Each member’s personal journey, vibrant personalities and aspirations offer unique perspectives to complex problems and contribute to the culture we’re so proud of.

This past week, we joined our colleagues in Sydney celebrating Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and those in Aotearoa New Zealand celebrating Pride Month. Holmes is committed to ensuring our people are comfortable and feel respected in their environment—regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

To provide an opportunity to grow and prioritise diversity at Holmes, Together@Holmes (TAHi) was born. TAHi has been formed with a group of people around the business who are passionate about Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) at Holmes.

Our long-term vision at Holmes is to be more representative of the communities we serve— and the places we live and work.

At Holmes, we encourage our team to dream big and therefore, empower them to achieve their goals;

  • In an environment where you can relax and be yourself.
  • Where we recognise and value diversity of thought and approach.
  • With equal support and equal opportunity to grow and develop.

Celebrating 30 years with Martin Feeney!

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Our Holmes team in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of their Principal, Martin Feeney at Holmes Group with a morning tea. As one of the founders of Holmes Fire, Martin has had a pivotal role in shaping the company and its success as well as within the fire engineering industry.

Martin started as a structural engineer in May 1986 when Holmes Consulting (the name our Structures and Infrastructures Practices used to be called) was Holmes Wood Poole and Johnson and after a brief stint at Hera, he joined the newly formed ‘Holmes Fire’ team (the name our Fire Practice was called) in 1996. It is fair to say Martin’s contribution, not only to Holmes Fire, but the fire engineering community, in general, is unsurpassed. He has been a leader in all aspects of fire engineering, and a huge part of the success of Holmes.

Congratulations on this amazing achievement Martin!

SESOC Awards: Holmes Involved in Three Award-Winning Projects

SESOC Awards: Holmes Involved in Three Award-Winning Projects

A night of celebrations for our Holmes people and projects at the SESOC Awards!

Last week our team attended the Structural Engineering Society (SESOC) Conference in New Zealand—we’re thrilled to celebrate the achievements of our people and project partners.

First, Hamish McKenzie was awarded SESSOC Life Membership—well-deserved recognition for many years of service and representing Holmes on committees and other SESOC groups, including a term as President in recent years.

We also had an amazing night at the awards ceremony, where Holmes got more Ithan our share of the silverware. We entered three projects, and all of them got a medal! The three award-winning projects are listed below:

  • Observatory Hotel at the Arts Centre (won a commendation)
  • Te Pae Building (received best in category)
  • Christ Church Cathedral Stabilisation (received best in category)

These achievements were incredible recognition for some truly world class seismic engineering.

Congratulations to all the project teams involved and all the winners on the night.

Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards announced for Te Whanganui-a-Tara projects

Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards announced for Te Whanganui-a-Tara projects

On Thursday May 3rd, 2018, the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) held their 2018 Wellington Architecture Awards.

There were 11 non-residential projects, which include a fire engineering component, and we are pleased to be involved on the consultancy team for seven out of the 11 projects honoured. Listed below are these seven award winning projects;

22 Boulcott Street
Commercial Architecture Award

Image Credit: Andy Spain

Arise Centre
Commercial Architecture Award

Photo Courtesy of NZIA

He Tohu Document Room
Public Architecture Award

Image Credit: Andy Spain

Our Lady of Kapiti School
Education Award

Image Credit: Andy Spain

Te Toki a Rata Building, Victoria University of Wellington
Education Award

Image Credit: Paul McCredie

Transpower
Interior Architecture Award

Image Credit: Jason Mann

Victoria Business School, Rutherford House Redevelopment
Education Award

Image Credit: Jason Mann

Congratulations to all the project teams involved in all the winning designs.

For Awards and the list of categories, see the full article here.

It’s been a decade! Richard Green—10 years at Holmes.

It’s been a decade! Richard Green—10 years at Holmes.

Richard is a Fire Engineer based in our Sydney office and is a very valued member of the team. After dedicating ten years of his working life to Holmes Fire, we asked him some questions to get an insight into the culture at Holmes Fire and how Fire Engineering has developed for him over this time.

Why Holmes Fire?

The best thing about Holmes is definitely its people and its culture. When I met Glen, Holmes Fire Australia’s CEO, back in Christmas of 2007, I felt straight away that Holmes Fire was the kind of place that I’d like to work. It was soon after, I met some of the staff, many of whom are also still here today only confirming that this was a team I would work well with and ultimately learn a lot from and time has proved that!

 

What is your greatest achievement at Holmes Fire?

From a project perspective, It would definitely have to be finishing V by Crown in Parramatta, which will be completed construction in the next couple of months.

Personally however, managing to keep a work life balance is also a great achievement for me, considering when I started at Holmes I had a very different life, sans kids! But maybe ask me that again when I have to start doing the school drop offs and I may have a different response!

 

What have you seen change at Holmes over the last 10 years?

Pleasingly, not much. Holmes has kept a consistency in how they practice and their culture. Apart from the increase in staff numbers as the company has grown, noting it has now doubled in numbers, it is still the same place I started at 10 years ago.

 

What makes Holmes a great place to work?

That one is easy! The people.

 

Reflecting on your work, do you have any key projects that have been important and particularly influential for you, since you have been at Holmes?

As mentioned prior, V by Crown as it had a bit of everything from a Fire Engineering perspective, so I definitely learnt a lot.

Top Ryde City Living would also be up there. As one of my first major projects with Holmes Fire, this will always be memorable, and as a bonus the team on the project were great, always making a project more rewarding to be a part of. Despite some late stage hurdles, it was a great project to complete.

 

What have been the biggest changes you have seen in the industry?

The housing boom in Sydney which has affected the growth of high density living, this is seen through the increased level of high-rise residential projects we have worked on over recent years.

A great positive change for me would be the culture shift of Fire Engineers within a project team, being recognised as a value add for a project rather than a necessary evil. The shift of including Fire Engineers within the early developments of a building is growing and we are noticing the positive role this has on the overall management of a project’s fire safety strategy through both the design and construction.

Finally, social media has created a wider conversation and platform to share ideas and innovation within the engineering environment as a whole. This, for us is shrinking the gap between disciplines and improving innovation within design, engineering and construction as a whole.

 

On behalf of Holmes Fire and the wider Holmes Group, we would like to thank Richard for his contribution over the years, not only to his projects but to our company. Congratulations on this great achievement!

Holmes is heading to Antarctica!

Holmes is heading to Antarctica!

Holmes is pleased to be the appointed Fire Engineer for the redevelopment of Antarctica New Zealand’s Scott Base. Mike Inwood and Reuben Costello from our Holmes, Fire Practice team, are the primary team for the project.

Holmes will be working within the building services team, led by Steensen Varming.
The wider consultant team include:

Architecture: Jasmax–Hugh Broughton Architects

Quantity Surveying: Turner and Townsend

Structural/Civil Engineering: WSP Opus

Building Services: Steensen Varming

The existing Scott Base facility is reaching the end of its functional life. The redevelopment of Scott Base will allow scientists from across the globe to continue researching some of the most important science of this generation. The outcome will be a facility fit for purpose to support our world-leading scientists in one of the most isolated places on Earth for the next 50 years.

The design of a building in Antarctica presents specific challenges due to the remote location and unique climate. The design and implementation of fire safety at the base needs to consider life safety in the immediate period during the fire event, long term operation of the base post fire, and asset protection/robustness.

Given the location and harsh environmental conditions in Antarctica, certain bespoke fire safety solutions, developed from first principles, will be required to ensure that the designs either meet, or indeed surpass, NZ fire safety design and best practice.

The team at Holmes is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

For further information:

http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/whats-new/new-zealands-coolest-redevelopment/

Photo Credit: Photo from ANZ attributed to Fiona Shanhun.

A Decade of Transformative Architecture: 2008-2017

A Decade of Transformative Architecture: 2008-2017

Architecture New Zealand has invited the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) editorial board to nominate and vote and what they consider to be the most ‘transformative’ projects in New Zealand this decade. The results are a display of some impressive architecture worthy of celebration. Have your say and vote for your favourite too!

More than 50 projects were nominated, and the NZIA has shortlisted this to 11 top voted projects. Out of these, Holmes Fire has proudly been the project Fire Engineer for 6 of the top 11 projects!

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
2011
Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Len Lye Centre (Art Gallery)
2013
Image Credit: Davor Popadich

Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Bishop Selwyn Chapel
2016
Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Transitional (Cardboard) Cathedral
2013
Image Credit: Dennis Radermacher

Image Credit: Dennis Radermacher

Waitomo Glowworm Caves Visitor Centre
2010
Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Britomart Precinct 
2012
Image Credit: Jeremy Toth

Image Credit: Jeremy Toth

In no particular order, these projects have been voted most transformative architecture for New Zealand this decade, displaying a wide array of design styles, advocating advanced design innovation ranging from engineering, material type and overall architectural excellence.

Want to see more? See what other projects we at Holmes Fire have been busy working on around not only New Zealand, but Australia and the US!

Consortium for Auckland Airport Redevelopment Announced

Legend has it that our predecessors at Holmes Consulting in Aotearoa New Zealand once owned a Cessna, which was used to get around our NZ offices back in the day. Those times are over, but we still love aviation and infrastructure—that’s why we’re so excited to be part of the consortium selected to deliver the new Auckland Airport development.

The scope of the project includes a new integrated domestic terminal, as well as significant expansion of border processing and the integration of extensive new transport and car parking facilities. The construction works will occur over the next decade.

We are Looking forward to working with Mott MacDonald, Grimshaw, and Architectus to deliver this major infrastructure redevelopment for Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).