T24 Research & Innovation Centre



Structural engineering for a centre to host a collection of research and development entities, and hi-tech commercial activities in Queenstown.
Structural engineering for a centre to host a collection of research and development entities, and hi-tech commercial activities in Queenstown.
The 5000m2 structure consists of two concrete floors above a six meter-deep basement.
To meet both architectural and performance requirements, the seismic structure above the basement incorporates a combination of eccentrically braced frames, concentrically braced frames, and moment resisting frames.
The basement walls are 400mm thick cast insitu concrete which support the retained soils, and resist the in-plane seismic loads by cantilevering from the foundations. A grillage of foundation beams run throughout the structure.
One of the major challenges faced in this project was accommodating the large floor plan with a minimal number of columns.
Detailed vibration analyses were conducted to address this issue, ultimately leading to the implementation of custom welded beams, 1 meter in depth, to bridge the longest span of 14m.
Project Lead_
Tim Niven
Architects_
Mason & Wales