Design supports special needs for long-term storage

The Archives New Zealand (Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga)

The Archives New Zealand (Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga) is the public library's national archive and official guardian. Filling a crucial role for the nation, it houses the government's recordkeeping authority and oversees the Public Records Act 2005, as well as information management throughout the government. When a new specialist facility for the long-term storage of precious archived material was needed, we provided design support.

With a $12M budget, the building is a unique, high-technology facility unlike any other in New Zealand. Acting as the lead professional engineering services consultant, we provided mechanical, electrical, security, fire, hydraulic, structural, civil, and geotechnical engineering services. The geotechnical design of the foundations was a significant challenge because of the project's stringent floor performance criteria and challenging ground conditions at the site.

We overcame this challenge by using building composites to form a lightweight structural steel frame, high-performance thermal roof cladding, and 150 millimetre thick concrete wall panels. Close control of the internal environment was achieved through an integrated mechanical solution. By working closely with the client, contractor, and architect, our project team enabled the successful delivery of a structure supporting the storage of historic archived material for the community.