Matatiki Hornby Centre

Matatiki Hornby Centre is a single-level community hub with a library, pool complex, activities and meeting rooms, café and customer services area. The facility sits on a former landfill, which posed challenges for our team early in the build when the site settled more than anticipated. We took the lead on devising and testing a new piling design and methodology, formulating a solution that required extensive on-site modifications to nearly 200 piles.

We laid an impervious landfill gas membrane and installed an underground network of gas collection pipes, allowing any gases to be safely vented out. The need to preserve the integrity of the membrane meant that we needed to find ingenious solutions for the foundations, especially when a hydrotherapy pool was added to the project. With traditional boxing ruled out, we staged areas and used cranes to backfill the foundations.

The engineered timber and steel structure features long LVL rafters and glulam columns. We paid particular attention to the structural steel coating in the pool hall to address the corrosion risk in the humid, chlorinated atmosphere. The double roof system, with long run roofing over insulated panels, was chosen to both to control noise and perform well in the humid pool.

The stainless steel pools were imported from Italy as modules which we fitted into place. We coordinated the reticulation of the pool water pipework, culminating in a specialised filtration and pumping system in the plant room.

We worked closely with local schools and businesses, minimising disruption and increasing efficiency by negotiating to access through neighbouring properties. We also hosted many visits from interested parties to support the community’s efforts to fundraise for the hydrotherapy pool addition.