Green light

SOME OF the most effective ideas can also be the most straightforward. One way to facilitate the use of human energy over electric in the DOC building, for example, was to ensure the stairwells in the podium were in plain sight. The stairs act as a visual prompt to encourage staff to walk between levels rather than take the elevator.

As a result, the stairwell is something of a central feature for the building. Its complex, hanging construction, together with many other structural steel elements, was undertaken by Atco Steel Developments.

Site supervisor on the project Ray Marshall says the stairwell was an intricate undertaking in that it was constructed from the ground up, but then clipped together and suspended structurally from above.

"Open to the atrium on one side and looking through glass walls into office space on the other, the staircase is an architectural feature in its own right," he says. "We also created and installed the handrails for this."

To make the task of constructing the staircase more demanding, individual steel elements had to be fed in through scaffolding surrounding the atrium before it could be pieced together inside.

"Much of the staircase engineering was complex in nature, with the final physics and angles only possible through computer calculations," says Marshall. "Adjacent but separate to the stair structure we installed several steel-rolled, hollow-section transom posts to support the soaring glass panel walls that contribute to the drama of this central space."

In addition, Atco Steel created the atrium roof structure, introduced new steel floor beams, framed void infills and built suspended ceilings and support systems.

"These support systems were another unusual aspect of the job created to hold the chilled beams in place on level three of the podium. As with any leading-edge design, the project threw up the odd previously unencountered problem that was overcome on the fly."

For details, contact Atco Steel Developments, PO Box 31107, Lower Hutt, phone (04) 939 1087, fax (04) 939 1154. Email: atco@atcosteel.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas