Liz van Welie Aquatics, Tauranga - Kirk Roberts Consulting

Project details

// Location -
Tauranga

// Size -
1,200m²

// Services -

// Civil Engineering

// Fire Engineering

// Geotechnical Engineering

// Structural Engineering

// Project value -
$4 million

// Status -
Completed

The unique swimming pools are the first of their kind to be used in commercial operations in New Zealand.

The Liz van Welie Aquatics Centre features a swimming facility and adjoining carpark. It utilises the MagnaPool system, using Magnesium and Potassium, for water treatment. The ground floor of 1,000m² accommodates two pools [12mx6m and 25mx15m], reception, offices, changing room, and operational facilities. The mezzanine of 200 m² provides additional office space and an elevated public viewing area. For this exciting development, we delivered the civil, geotechnical, structural, and fire engineering elements.

The project was interesting in every way. Conventionally, most projects are built from the ground up with deep work done first. In this case, we had to create the concrete floors to receive the pools, and then put the building structure over the top due to a number of challenges from a geological perspective, and strict stainless steel pool manufacture specifications mean there were limitations on the backfill material surrounding the pools, with no compaction of fill or heavy machinery allowed adjacent the pools.

Careful planning and close collaboration with the contractor were the keys to the successful outcome of this project. The building opened on time and has over 3,500 visitors a week.

The building design for this project appreciated and celebrated the structural engineering design. The glue-laminated portal frames with hidden epoxy grouted connections and LVL exposed rafters are innovative in this environment and offer aesthetic as well as structural qualities.

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