Guest Speakers- Peter McCawe and Roy Lehndorf from Hawkins Construction gave a fascinating overview of the construction of the University of Waikato Tauranga campus development.
Peter as Regional Manager started by telling members about the range of projects this 70-year-old company has been involved in locally. Projects include the new Zespri Head Office, The Crossing at Tauriko, Grace Hospital, Kingsview Apartments, and many new schools. Hawkins has excellent relations with local Iwi, and employs several young Maori trainees every year.
Roy is the Project Director and he ran through the project which started six months ago, and will be completed in February 2019. He showed an excellent time lapse video depicting the construction of the building. He recommended members view a 3.5 minute online video showing how students and staff will use the campus building - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwYil9gBzto#action=share
This is an large and complex building (8,500 sq.m.) with some tolerances less than 2mm. An important feature is seismic strength, and custom made bracing has been imported from the USA. There are no piles, as the building sits on a concrtete slab.
Most of the components are manufactured off site, and the skill of the project management lies in the co-ordinating of these just in time for construction. The site is very constrained and this is managed by having a north and a south tower, and resources are spilt between the two.
The University has had a strong relationship with local Iwi, and an Atea (arrival area) is a feature, together with art and sculptures to be included. Sustainability principles are also important and there is a focus on using local timber. Whilst not Green Star rated, rain water harvesting and other sustainability features are included.
The best question came from John who asked how how cranes work, and he was given a detailed description, as well as an offer to see the dismantling of the main crane, which costs $28,000 per month to hire.