Challenges for Dominion Constructors included the logistics of the very busy central city site and the complex undertaking of restoring and strengthening this piece of Auckland history.
The Orange Hall, originally three floors, was partially demolished to enable both the new build and the structural strengthening of the hall prior to its refurbishment. In fact, several complex structural challenges were addressed by Dominion before the final rebeautification of the hall.
The Hall was stabilised with 10m high precast concrete panels to two of the four perimeter walls connected to the roof trusses and floor substructure. The design rationale was for a stiff structural three-sided box with the remaining fourth wall not contributing to the structural integrity. The three walls were connected by new roof and floor diaphragms. The fourth wall, consisting of double skin brickwork, was strengthened by the application of flexible sprayed concrete containing polyester fibres, Flexus, a recent engineering product innovation from Reid Engineering. This was one of the first projects to utilise the product, which was suggested by the structural engineer with Dominion arranging and coordinating the process from there.
A pile inclinometer and registered surveyor monitoring targets placed on the existing hall were used to confirm no excessive ground movement was occurring during the excavations associated with the new building work as this could have potentially affected the structural stability of the hall.
The internal refurbishment included restoring and polishing the lower level concrete floor, together with preserving the timber roof trusses and the timber dance floor. Other work included carpeting the third level, installing custom-made partitions in the bathrooms, replacing and upgrading the lighting throughout and replacing an outside window with a door to accommodate a future cafe leading out to the new court yard.
The final stage was to clean, repaint and seal the exterior to prevent ongoing dirt build up and to ensure ease of maintenance. The stairs were also hand ground to remove years of paint and expose the original pink-toned granolithic screed. Overall, the Hall's interiors were kept as simple as possible to highlight the period features.
For details, contact Dominion Constructors, phone (09) 526 5808, email: enquiries@constructors.co.nz , website: www.constructors.co.nz
19 May, 2017