By Engineering Design Consultants
Bordering Newmarket and Parnell, Sarawai’s initially gentle fall line quickly gives way to a steep downward gradient. It comes as no surprise therefore that No. 14 is only one of a handful of terraced housing developments.
What most of these sections lack in road frontage, they make up for in depth and height. 14 Sarawai St comprises 6x four level units; each unit has internal access to the basement level underground carpark. Steep excavating a mere 1.5m from the neighbour's 3 storey concrete RC building at No.12, required temporary reinforced concrete propping before the extensive ground works could begin.
The steep terrain and resulting architectural design, called for out-of-the-box engineering throughout the project. Challenges included wall bracing to accommodate large open plan spaces and designs for a steel transferring beam under the IT wall and above a multi-step basement with limited height. To resolve these a half steel portal design was used to hide the steel portal leg inside the timber wall frames, whilst a composite section capacity design reduced size of the steel floor beams.
EDC delivered smart, proactive and well-considered engineering to ensure this challenging site and architectural design became a reality for the developer.
Engineering Design Consultants are proud to be Archipro's first listed engineering firm.
Established in 1985 on Auckland’s North Shore, Engineering Design Consultants (EDC) is a medium-sized, service driven, multi-discipline engineering consultancy. EDC provide structural, civil, geotechnical, environmental and fire engineering services, predominantly for architects, developers, planners and surveyors, building and home owners.
EDC employ over 30 qualified engineers across our 3 offices in Auckland, Christchurch and Whakatane - in the Bay of Plenty. Being a multi-discipline practice sets us apart from other engineering firms, allowing us to provide our clients with a seamless, collaborative and cost effective “end-to-end” engineering strategy for projects of all sizes.
Over 30 years EDC have built a proud reputation for “outside the box” thinking, providing effective solutions for challenging projects. Our friendly and reliable service and established working relations with service provider’s and local councils, ensures a smooth pathway from the projects conception to completion.
Although we are well aware of the need to be cost-sensitive, EDC does not cut corners! Delivering work of a very high standard, with an emphasis on safety in design gives our customers peace of mind.