Innovation Institute Building wins Engineering Excellence Award

25 November 2010

NZi3 the New Zealand ICT Innovation Institute, at the University of Canterbury is the 2010 winner of the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Award for Sustainability and Clean Technology.

Behind the distinctive architecture and unique structural engineering design of the New Zealand Innovation Institute is the performance of a very green building. Whenever possible, the mixed-mode ventilation strategy uses natural ventilation on the upper level via automated windows controlled by the building management system. Under-floor cooling supplemented by heat recovery is used at other times. 

The lighting control system is automated to minimise energy use. The fire engineering design was developed after advanced computer modelling of the multi-level air spaces, taking into account the presence of the phase change materials in the ceilings. This is the first known time that such materials have been incorporated in a building to supply thermal buffering capacity.

Located beside the College of Engineering, the building presents as an exemplar of leading-edge engineering, befitting its role as an outreach to industry and business.

The building has already been recognised with several awards including the New Zealand Green Building Council 5 star education design award, the Designers Institute Gold award for interior design and the New Zealand Institute of Architects Canterbury Architecture award. NZi3 was also short listed for the World Architecture Awards 2009.

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, which recognise achievement in the various industry areas, together with a Supreme Award for the best of the Project and Product winners.