Low Damage Design

Low damage design (LDD) is the prevailing wind in the industry; the phrase on everybody’s lips. But not everyone – in fact, very few – can claim to do it well. To us, LDD is an opportunity to do what we do best: deliver smart designs that anticipate and cater for the challenges of the future. That long term view has held us in great stead with our clients for more than five decades, and it’s woven into everything we do.

While LDD requires a long term focus, it’s recent earthquake events and the innovations and developments uncovered in their wake that have driven it into the spotlight. In the Aotearoa New Zealand environment, people now realise that structures, new and old, need to be designed to minimise the disruption and damage earthquakes cause. Through our work in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), and across the country, we’ve led in much of the LDD thinking and innovation. We’ve had great success translating those ideas into realities in the designs we deliver, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas.

When you’re talking about LDD, base isolation is never far out of the frame. We’ve delivered several base isolation projects in Aotearoa New Zealand, and a number in seismic environments in the USA, Europe and Asia. The technical challenge of base isolation gets our blood pumping, and we love applying our technological horsepower to projects that need isolating. Through real working experience – which again, very few can claim to have – we’ve developed some of the most advanced, robust base isolation systems ever designed.

LDD is close to our hearts, and we’re leading the way in advancing thinking, technology and delivery in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the world.