Forming the second of two key vertical infrastructure projects for KiwiRail, the Hillside project in Dunedin drew from the many innovative design solutions and financial efficiencies from the KiwiRail Waltham project.
INDUSTRY
Industrial
LOCATION
Dunedin
AREA
8,000m²
Calder Stewart has a long history of providing third-party logistics facilities that connect to New Zealand’s rail network. Dunedin’s Hillside project was initially tendered as a construct only project. When our specialist tendering team received the final documentation, they recognised that we could find significant efficiencies in several structural elements. To strengthen our proposals, we offered KiwiRail several Design Build concepts for the requisite piling, foundations, structural steel, and cladding for both the Offices and Mechanical Workshop.
We offered a revised structural foundation system with integrated screw piling for the Workshop to a founding layer at a depth of 23 metres. This system was more streamlined to build and allowed for site efficiencies that led to significant cost savings by avoiding large contaminated soil disposal costs. Alongside the installation of the rail lines within the Workshop there are also locomotive and gauge pits constructed below the groundwater levels, plus foundations for a 130 tonne Traverser for moving trains between the twelve rail roads.
We were pleased to play a significant part in the design of the offices, which will be a new focal point of this historic site. This design includes high-level windows and large office windows within the open plan area to provide significant natural light and visual connection to the exterior. A huge reduction in embodied carbon was achieved through our Design Build process by the use of less reinforcing steel, concrete, structural steel and cartage of soil offsite.
The project is tracking towards a final handover in 2024 and sets in motion a compelling next chapter for KiwiRail.