The project team responsible for the Pacifica Tower in Auckland’s CBD, New Zealand’s highest residential building, has taken home the 2023 Nauhria Premier Concrete Award.
Presented at the Concrete NZ Nauhria Industry Awards event at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland during March, the award celebrated concrete’s role in one of the first examples of a new high-rise construction method being used in New Zealand.
The judging panel commended the project team which, along with BBR Contech, also included Hengyi Pacific, Plus Architecture, BGT Structures, WSP, ICON and Dominion Constructors, for the adoption of innovative design and construction techniques that are emerging in New Zealand.
Elegant solution
In particular, the judging panel felt the use of in-situ post-tensioned concrete floors was an elegant solution to architectural and structural performance requirements for multi-storey buildings.
The six-day floor cycle achieved during construction — where a new storey was erected every six days — is testament to the careful consideration of structural design and construction methodology, as well as the skill and expertise of the project team.
Concrete New Zealand chief executive Rob Gaimster believes the Pacifica Tower sets a new standard for multi-storey reinforced concrete builds, demonstrating concrete can be used for the tallest commercial and residential structures in New Zealand.
“The Pacifica Tower is a prominent and celebrated addition to the Auckland skyline, and all those involved can be proud of our biggest city’s newest landmark,” Gaimster says.
Concrete’s ongoing decarbonisation
“It is also an example of how the implementation of technologies such post-tensioning and high strength mix designs will be part of concrete’s ongoing decarbonisation journey.”
On their way to the top prize, the Pacifica Tower team also won the Firth Industries – Excellence in Commercial Concrete category award.
The Awards set a new benchmark for excellence in all aspects of concrete design, construction, rehabilitation, research, and innovation, while also recognising the leaders and teams who are building and preserving New Zealand’s low-carbon built environment of tomorrow.
Other Categories:
The Awards produced winners in other categories for projects and initiatives that demonstrated outstanding concrete achievement. They are:
Holcim – Excellence for Architectural Concrete (Monte Craven Award): Hynds Pipe Systems, for Te Pae North Piha Surf Life Saving Tower, West Auckland
The brief was for the lifeguard tower at North Piha — one of the most beautiful but dangerous surf beaches in New Zealand — to be a robust, low-maintenance building that would withstand the severe coastal environment.
As the site is remote, precast concrete was chosen for factory manufacture and assembly on-site. The tower is made up of 10 bespoke elements, with the shaft sitting on an in-situ concrete foundation to support the podium elements that cantilever towards the sea.
The result is a facility that meets community needs now and into the future.
Project team: United North Piha Lifeguard Service, Crosson Architects, BGT Structures, Scarborough Construction, Hynds Pipe Systems.
GPIL – Mateenbar – Excellence in Concrete Landscaping: Allied Concrete, for the Opuke Thermal Pools & Spa, Methven
The entire complex was conceived as a journey through nature, emulating the context of the Canterbury Plains as they meet the majestic Southern Alps.
The main feature is the hard landscaping, which uses shotcrete and decorative concretes. A striking element of the facility is the cave system that features complex shapes formed using large bags of sawdust as the backform.
Project team: Methven Adventures, Sheppard & Rout, Bradford Group, Allied Concrete, Peter Fell Ltd.
Golden Bay – Excellence in Concrete Infrastructure: Fulton Hogan Taylors Joint Venture, for the Waimea Community Dam, Tasman
The dam is one of the region’s most important infrastructure projects, and the largest dam built in New Zealand for more than 20 years.
The project team developed new approaches to achieve a high-quality concrete outcome. Key to success was placing more than 30,000 cubic metres of concrete in a remote location for a range of structures that included a diversion outlet, starter dam, plinth, spillway and the embankment’s concrete face.
Project team: Waimea Water, Fulton Hogan Taylors Joint Venture, Damwatch Engineering, Allied Concrete.
Golden Bay – Excellence in Concrete Infrastructure, Highly Commended: Downer New Zealand, for the Tekapo A, Intake and Shaft, Canterbury
This unique engineering project protects one of the South Island’s key hydro-power schemes by allowing the flow of water to Tekapo A, Power Station to be stopped in an emergency shutdown.
Engineering smarts were developed that maintained live operations throughout construction. These included using shotcrete to build the shaft in layers, expediting the construction programme and building a permanent stent to sustain power generation.
Project team: Genesis Energy, Downer New Zealand, AECOM, Parfitt Construction, Kiwi Concrete, Complete Reinforcing.
BCITO Te Pukenga – Excellence in Residential Concrete: Young Architects, for Scarborough Beton Brut, Christchurch
Strong and efficient, concrete was used to retain the hillside and for the finished internal walls. The structure itself was insulated and left exposed, allowing concrete’s thermal mass to optimise a passive solar design that allows for comfort all year round.
Resilient in the face of strong winds and seismic threats, the concrete also offers honest beauty, with the strong timber grain shuttering giving a raw aesthetic.
Project team: Young Architects, Hoogervorst Builders, ENGCO.
Formshore – Excellence in Concrete Remediation and Reuse: Downer New Zealand, for City Rail Link (CRL) C1, Auckland
The CRL Contract 1 and enabling works at Britomart involved extending the rail network from Britomart Station underneath the historic Chief Post Office and Lower Queen Street, one of the busiest areas of the Auckland CBD.
The construction of twin rail tunnels beneath the Post Office presented challenges for the project team, which led to innovations such as post-tensioning, cement jet grouting, and the construction of concrete diaphragm walls as part of the underpinning works.
Project team: Auckland Transport, Soletanche Bachy, Aurecon, Freyssinet, Downer New Zealand, Allied Concrete, Acrow.
Powerpac Group – Excellence in Concrete for the Community: Downer New Zealand, for the Downtown Infrastructure Development Programme, Auckland
This $350 million redevelopment of the downtown area had an ambitious time line, with the America’s Cup and other events on the horizon.
There were numerous large concrete-based components erected and cast over the water, and significant architectural concrete finishes that enhance the streetscapes.
Notable amongst these were the seismic strengthening of the 100-year-old seawall on Quay Street and the Te Wananga Downtown Public Space — the project’s centrepiece.
Project team: Auckland Transport, Tonkin & Taylor, Aurecon, HEB Construction, Soletanche-Bachy, Downer New Zealand, Allied Concrete, Firth Industries.
Powerpac Group – Excellence in Concrete for the Community, Highly Commended: Aurecon, for Nga Hau Mangere, Auckland
In partnership with mana whenua, the project team replaced the 105-year-old Old Mangere Bridge with a new, stunning piece of structural engineering which, at 260 metres long, has an elegant, curved design with a wide deck that allows pedestrians and cyclists to travel safely.
The cornerstone of the bridge is a dramatic 60-metre central arch, supported by a concrete superstructure, which provides a fitting sense of scale to the neighbouring motorway bridges.
Challenges during construction included the tidal environment and the complex structure.
Project team: Waka Kotahi NZTA, Aurecon, Pete Bossley Architects, Isthmus, McConnell Dowell.
Canzac – Excellence in Concrete Innovation: Allied Concrete, for e-crete
With a reliable supply of ground granulated blast furnace slag now available in New Zealand, Allied Concrete undertook an R&D programme to develop a range of lower embodied carbon concretes known as e-crete, which are being used on a limited scale in Auckland, with wider release planned for later in the year.
These concretes are designed to utilise SCMs and other concrete mix technology to achieve lower carbon outcomes through cement substitution of up to 60%.
Project team: Allied Concrete.
