Working together to provide a critical infrastructure solution for Wellington Children’s Hospital
The Wellington Children’s Hospital has an Importance Level 3 rating* and is designed to withstand a once in a 2,500 year seismic event, providing protection to patients and staff and to ensure that the hospital is up and running quickly, following a large earthquake.
The building rests on Triple Pendulum Base Isolators, which have been specifically designed and manufactured, allowing the new building to sway as much as 1.5 metres in two directions. Engineers anticipated risk of critical sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastructure suffering large displacement during seismic events across the base isolation plane.
Given the complexity of the project, the Hynds team with support from Hygrade, worked collectively bringing together expertise across the group, to collaborate with the multiple consultants involved. supplying an engineered solution that provides protection against pipe displacement. Working with the Main Contractors BIM team, Hynds were able to develop each connection in Revit to ensure they would work in the digital space before being submitted as shop drawings for procurement through Hygrade with EBAA USA.
Ray Yee, Senior Project Engineer (working on the project at the time) commented – “from concept, construction and hand-over to Te Whatu Ora late 2022, Hynds have been exemplary in the development of this critical component, for this world class medical facility.” Ray highly commended Hynds for their commitment, innovation, and expertise in seismic engineering design.
*Importance level 3
Buildings of a higher level of societal benefit or importance, or with higher levels of risk-significant factors to building occupants. These buildings have increased performance requirements because they may house large numbers of people, vulnerable populations, or occupants with other risk factors, or fulfil a role of increased importance to the local community or to society in general. www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/
Source: Ray Yee
