Mark Dunajtschik, one of Wellington’s major benefactors has graciously paid for and began construction on a new children’s hospital for the Wellington region. NZCEL was honoured to work on this project with Mr. Dunajtschik, Studio Design + Architecture, McKee Fehl, and many others.
Mr. Dunajtschik tasked NZCEL and the other team members mentioned above with the earthquake design for this noble project. While New Zealand building standards are designed with life safety as the end goal of earthquake design, the Wellington Children’s Hospital needs a much more robust design that goes above and beyond the NBS. This is because in the event of a cataclysmic once-in-every-2500-year earthquake, the hospital not only has to survive; it must be able to stay operational.
Significant research was considered from all over the world on how to accomplish this. In the end, this resilience was achieved by incorporating Earthquake Protection System’s Triple Pendulum Friction Bearings. These bearings separate the building from the ground via low friction curved sliding planes.
