Rotorua Aquatic Centre revitalisation

Our Rotorua Aquatic Centre revitalisation project included a complete roof and façade replacement, upgrading the entrance, reception area and café, and reconfiguring the ablutions to improve accessibility.

The main feature of the pool hall transformation is a translucent EFTE roof. We erected a curved structural steel frame to support the new roof over the existing laminated timber portal frames, which we strengthened to 100% of NBS. The existing structure had settled over time, so we used digital point cloud scanning and 3D modelling to precisely integrate the new roof, including bespoke levelling of the LVL purlins.

Stringent quality control was a hallmark of the project, which combines the harsh, corrosive environment of an indoor swimming pool with that of a geothermally active area. We identified the critical elements, including the vapour barrier systems designed into the roof and façade, and produced full scale mockups. We workshopped them exhaustively with our specialist subcontractors and agreed the final methodologies and quality controls with the design team.

Given the high water table, there was a buoyancy risk with the 50-metre pool when it was empty. Our in-house engineers devised an innovative system using 159 inflatable swimming pools full of water to act as ballast and carefully monitored the water table as we worked.

We used a cantilevered birdcage scaffold to work above the pools, allowing us to complete high and low level works safely and concurrently. Our Services team also utilised the scaffold as a conduit for the temporary services reticulation required to keep the outdoor pools operational for the duration of the project, a critical consideration for the client.

All the meticulous planning paid off and we were pleased to hand over a modern, vibrant community facility.