Carterton Events Centre

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This events centre building is located in an active seismic zone in New Zealand. The designers stuck with the client’s desire to use locally-sourced materials for the building, and they provided the seismic resistance simultaneously through the use of prestressed LVL which rocks, and recentres, under seismic action.
The designers had to overcome significant technical issues in realising this structure, but the result is a community building with novel structural features – attracting great interest from the public of Carterton and far beyond.

Judge's comment:

This structure uses locally-sourced timber, which is prestressed in order to ensure its earthquake resistance. The concept struck a chord with the local public in a way that demonstrates the ingenuity of structural designers to a wide audience.