Luxury Apartments win Engineering Excellence Awards

25 November 2010

Aurecon New Zealand Ltd has taken the top award in the Building and Construction category of the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards for the Stamford Residences project.

An additional eleven storeys of luxury apartments were added over the existing ten-storey Stamford hotel building in the Auckland CBD. The project was initiated by the engineers and presented to the client, in conjunction with the architect. Thoughtful design of the construction process and proficient project management minimised impacts during construction, so the hotel was only closed for a period of four months.

Strengthening works were minimised through an innovative combination of concrete reinforced columns, and strengthening of shear walls through either addition of confining steel plates or by coring holes and grouting reinforcing 14 metres into existing walls.   
Three tuned mass dampers at the top of the building are used to reduce the wind acceleration experienced by building occupants to comfortable levels. These dampers are designed to shut down in a major seismic event.

‘The concept is bold and imaginative’ says Institution of Professional Engineers Chief Executive Andrew Cleland, ‘By avoiding the need for demolition and rebuilding it was more sustainable and cost-effective than alternative solutions’
Stamford apartment residents have access to hotel facilities, such as the pool and gym but have their own lobby, lifts and concierge.

Initiated in 2005, the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards are the premier awards for the engineering professionals of New Zealand. The awards are presented in two major areas: Awards Recognising People, that recognise leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and our young engineers; and Project and Product Awards, that recognise achievement in the various industry areas, together with a Supreme Award for the best of the Project and Product winners.