106 Wrights Road, Christchurch - Kirk Roberts Consulting

Project details

// Client -
Enable House

// Location -
Christchurch, Canterbury

// Size -
3,000m2 + Atrium

// Services -

// Fire Engineering

// Geotechnical Engineering

// Structural Engineering

// Project value -
$6m

Enable House, a three-storey commercial office development was designed as one of Christchurch’s most advanced low-damage buildings following the Canterbury earthquakes. Providing open-plan workspace for up to 200 people across three tenancies, the structure offers large, flexible floorplates with minimal interruption from internal walls—maximising fit-out options, tenant comfort, and long-term adaptability.

Seismic-Resilient Design Using PRESSS Technology

A key feature of this project is the use of PRESSS (Precast Seismic Structural System) technology, a next-generation structural solution designed to significantly reduce earthquake damage. The building incorporates self-centring post-tensioned precast concrete shear walls with replaceable ductile energy dissipators and steel-plated shear-keyed joints. This creates a “flag-shaped” hysteresis response that allows the building to re-centre after shaking, reducing residual deformation and improving resilience far beyond conventional concrete wall systems.

High-Performance Structural Outcomes

Engineered as a Normal Importance Level structure, the building achieves 100% NBS for a 1/500-year earthquake event.
Additional performance benefits include:

Ultimate Limit State (ULS) drifts of just 0.5–0.7%, with dissipators engaging to absorb seismic energy.
Serviceability Limit State (SLS) drifts limited to 0.2%, ensuring no damage during frequent seismic activity.
Capacity to sustain seismic drifts twice the design level, remaining in a low-damage state.
Ability to resist a 1/2500-year event without additional structural cost, demonstrating the efficiency of the system.

These results highlight PRESSS as a forward-thinking alternative to traditional “fuse-based” concrete walls, offering a more sustainable long-term solution for commercial developments in seismic regions.

A Benchmark for Christchurch’s Post-Earthquake Rebuild

By combining innovative structural engineering, efficient floor layouts, and exceptional seismic performance, this development stands as a benchmark example of low-damage, future-ready commercial construction in Christchurch. It demonstrates how modern engineering can create buildings that not only protect people but also remain usable and cost-effective after major earthquakes.