Industry Night
A highlight of our design show is our industry night and networking event. This is an opportunity to network with like-minded industry representatives and to connect with current engineering undergraduate and postgraduate students and alumni. Join us at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts from 5.30pm, Thursday, 27 October with the formal programme starting at 6:00pm. After its conclusion at 7:00pm, visitors will be able to view the R&D expo for a short time.
Keynote Speakers
Sean Gledhill: The Pā Project – The journey in creating a mass timber building
Speaker Bio
Sean Gledhill is a Technical Director at Beca, based in Tauranga who has over 23 years’ experience in the design and documentation of resilient buildings in steel and timber. He’s been involved in projects across New Zealand, Australia and Europe. As a passionate structural engineer, Sean outlines how innovation can drive change in what we do and how we do it. He will outline the journey from ideas on a page to the building delivered on site and how future engineers can image a pathway for achievement.
Sean has been involved in the design, development of resilient structural systems and creating providing pathways from research to application as well as development of industry design guidelines. His experience includes significant projects with Controlled Rocking Braced Steel Frames, Sliding hinge joints, Friction joints, seismic isolation, damper technology as well as traditional code compliant systems. Sean has recently led the engineering of projects in Hamilton such as The Pā for UoW, ACC new offices being delivered by Tainui and 2 Devonport Road in Tauranga.
Project Background
Located at The University of Waikato’s Hillcrest campus, the Pā is an Importance Level 3(IL3) building complex that provides a student and learning hub, a marae capable of accommodating 100 people overnight, and capacity for hosting University Graduation ceremonies, community events and activities. In developing the design, key stakeholders, including students, staff, suppliers and iwi were directly engaged. The project delivers a new gateway and community reception, refurbished Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies and new space for the Universities executive leadership team were a part of the development. The complex is linked by a single roof canopy called The Pā which when completed will be one of the largest and most iconic Glulam timber buildings undertaken in NZ.
Project Engineering Outline
Key design challenges on the project include design and coordination of complex glulaminated/beam/column roof geometry, seismic strengthening, responding to hidden mechanical services, and integrating and nesting new seismic strengthening of existing buildings all constructed within a while an operating university campus. Built within complex and active campus environment the project sets new engineering benchmarks for what can be achieved with highly engineered Glulaminated timber structures. The building also relies on key shear walls, steel and timber bracing elements for lateral stability and fire protection. Architectus were building design architects with Jasmax the lead consultant. Beca have provided engineering services for the ~7,000m2 multifunctional space that also includes an 800-seat conference space and shops. In collaborating with the main contractor, researchers and specialist timber suppliers, Beca was able to harness knowledge of mass timber buildings our design and BIM know-how to help deliver the design and documentation of this large, complex building.