Client: KiwiRail Property

Contractor: Higgs Construction

Status: Completed 2013

The building, used by KiwiRail as their main Christchurch office, is a two-storey concrete framed building with a hollow core first floor slab and light steel framed roof. This project involved a seismic assessment of the existing building, and design and documentation for the building’s seismic upgrade.

Novare Design’s involvement included: Inspection of the building followed by a qualitative seismic assessment of the existing structure, and provision of options for its seismic upgrade. Novare recommended stiffening the building and other retrofit measures to address concerns over the building’s integrity and potential future seismic performance.

Design and documentation of seismic strengthening of the building was undertaken, along with coordinating with KiwiRail’s refurbishment proposals. Seismic strengthening work included; the addition of exterior ground floor and interior upper floor bracing frames to stiffen the building, new ring ground beam and screw pile foundations, floor diaphragm upgrade, precast concrete wall weakening and additional support to hollow core floor units.