We recently enjoyed a site tour of the City Rail Link’s Te Waihorotiu Station, viewing our engineering team's prestressed concrete flooring design. The design, comprised of approximately 435 panels, features throughout this impressive 15m-deep, 300m long building, in Midtown Auckland.
We were appointed by our long-standing partner Fulton Hogan, to design the prestressed concrete flooring panels for all four floors and the roof of the station, offering guidance to ensure high-load capacity over long spans. This was achieved by specifying an increased thickness from standard panels, enabling installation (and future servicing) of heavy mechanical equipment including immense ventilation fans.
Fulton Hogan supplied approximately 435 flat slab panels, with each one designed by Maynard Marks for the specific loading scenario it will be subjected to in service.
Following the installation of the panels, we reviewed our previous design and offered detailed analysis on new penetration and increased equipment weight requirements, as the weight of the fans increased by 30 - 40%.
As with all prefabricated technology, the use of prestressed concrete flooring units saved significant time and resource on-site, as well as the consistent quality advantages derived from off-site manufacturing.
The prestressed method offers further benefits, with less concrete being required compared to traditional reinforced concrete over the same spans – an advantage for sustainability, foundation design and seismic integrity.
It was a fantastic opportunity to be part of this pioneering project, and we are excited to visit again once the station opens.
Special thanks to Gareth Jew from the Link Alliance for the tour.
