Tourism can be a passive or active adventure. The author has been involved in two underwater facilities, which could be described as passive, and highly active bungy jumping facilities. The first eco-structure is a floating reception area and viewing room located in Milford Sound, New Zealand. This room allows 60–70 people to view the unique marine life at a depth of 10–11m under the sea. The second eco-facility is a submarine service barge located in Milford Sound. The submarine to be serviced is small but capable of diving to 300m with four passengers. The bungy jumping phenomenon requires structures designed to take into account the paramount requirement of safety. Speeds of 134 km/h are achieved during a jump and the effect on the body and mind during a jump is described. A. E. Tyndall, BE, FIPENZ, Registered Engineer, Member of the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand Tyndall and Hanham Consulting Engineers, Christchurch, New Zealand
Innovations in the design of structures to resist earthquakes in New Zealand over recent years are discussed. These include the ductile design approach incorporating capacity design, and the detailing of reinforcement to ensure ductile behaviour, design using seismic isolation and mechanical energy dissipating devices, the use of precast concrete in buildings, and the assessment and upgrading of the earthquake resistance of existing older structures. R. Park, OBE, ME, PhD, Hon DEng, FREng, FIStructE, FICE, FRSNZ, FIPENZ Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering University of Canterbury, New Zealand
The Otira Viaduct is a 445m long prestressed concrete box girder bridge recently constructed in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The site is set in majestic mountains high in the Arthur’s Pass National Park. The area’s geological, geotechnical and environmental conditions, together with the terrain and active river conditions, made this an unusually challenging and demanding project. This paper describes the design and construction of the balanced cantilever bridge, which has spans up to 134m and piers constructed deep into avalanche material with rock compressive strengths of up to 250MPa. Ian J. Billings, BE (Hons) FIPENZ Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand Richard J. Holyoake, BE (Hons) MIPENZ Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand