Engineered to conserve

Environmental factors can make engineering feats particularly challenging. If a site features deep underground sections with constricted, water-filled spaces special planning and construction methods need to be devised.

This scenario faced Thorburn Consultants during its 18-month design and management project at the Ruakuri Caves, says director Craig Thorburn.

"We were contracted by Tourism Holdings to design easily traversable suspended walkways and concrete paths in the caves. Massive resource consent constraints restricted the materials and tools we could use, meaning ultimately much of the work was completed by hand. In addition, worker safety was also a major consideration, with extensive CO2 monitoring necessary inside the caves."

The nature of the project required a flexible relationship with the client. The Blackwater Rafting Company, who operated tours during construction, played a major installation role alongside Hawkins Construction.

The multitude of underground streams, ancient fossils and subterranean chambers added other challenges. As the caves were unsurveyed, the company worked to a three week lead time, measuring, and then templating for all components.

Extensive project management experience, practical knowledge of resource consent applications, and a background in environmental science enabled Thorburn Consultants to successfully engineer a design solution for the difficult, isolated site.

During construction, lateral thinking was needed to complete walkway sections. Workers, descending into the caves via shoulder-width shutes, swam to work sites in underground streams, changing into dry clothes before starting work.

For more details, contact Thorburn Consultants, phone (09) 309 5339, fax (09) 308 9503. Website: www.thorburn.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas