Dunning Thornton Consultants, Architecture Workshop, Hunters, Hawkins Construction
Project Location:
Otorohanga, Waikato
Categories:
Commercial Architectural Excellence, Commercial Engineering Excellence, Clever Wood Solution
Project Description:
Sheltered below an innovative woven timber canopy, new amenities for visitors to the Waitomo Caves includes tourist gathering areas, 250-seat dining, retail, seminar and exhibition areas as well as a café and theatre for Tourism Holdings.
The structure of the centre is internationally significant. The geometry of the canopy was described by the surface of a toroid, and Radiata pine LVL (laminated veneer lumber) was prefabricated into curved (and twisted) ribs in Hunter’s factory in Nelson. These timber I-beams were joined, overlapped in layers, then screwed together as they were assembled on site by Hawkins Construction. Although the complex geometry pushed the limits of our three-dimensional modelling tools the resulting exceptionally light structure ultilises timber members only 316mm deep at 4.25m centres to span almost 30m.
The weaving of the timber structure to create a timber net or ‘gridshell’ is recalled by the local hapu as a hinaki or Maori eel trap.