Kia Ora
With less than a month to go until the Christmas break, our site teams are busy burrowing away to complete a number of works before wrapping up for the year.
If you live or work next to or near one of our sites at Beresford Square or Mercury Lane and would like to receive weekly updates on the work taking place, please send us your email and we will add you to the distribution list.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email at Karangahape@linkalliance.co.nz or call us on 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) and press option 4 with any questions or concerns you have.
Also don't forget our survey is still open until 5pm tomorrow, 1 December. Follow the link to provide your feedback: Stakeholder satisfaction survey Q4 2022
Ngā mihi,
The Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) team
|
|
Discover more about the design of our station entrances
In previous newsletters we have talked about how the creation story has influenced and shaped the design, consisting of four design elements (Earth, sky, threshold and fourth – represents Te Whaiao), of Karanga-a-Hape Station. This month, we are looking at the threshold element.
The threshold element, the physical point between the outside streetscape and inside the station, is unique to each City Rail Link station and represents an aspect and narrative relating to that station’s Māori deity (atua) or God. For Karanga-a-Hape Station, that is Tāne-mahuta.
|
|
|
Tāne-mahuta’s Triumph – copyright Jane Crisp 2007
|
|
|
Tāne-mahuta, son of the Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother), is the God of the forest and within the creation story, he is known for pushing apart his parents to create light (day).
|
|
Mercury Lane entrance threshold element
Inside the Mercury Lane superstructure, allusions to the kauri tree are shown through the large pupurangi shells on the entrance ceiling (these snails live on the tree's leaves), as seen above.
In the image below you can see sketches which represent the two figures Ira Atua, representing the celestial realm, and Ira Tangata representing the terrestrial realm. These will be displayed within the threshold element above the Mercury Lane entrance, as seen on the left-hand side of the image.
|
|
|
The ‘back texture’ takes reference from traditional carving, creating a base for the figures to be located on top. A repeating 1 metre x 1 metre pattern is rotated and mirrored, to create a consistent pattern.
|
|
|
The precast panel’s joints align to the sky element lightweight concrete above it. However, the panels are independent as they are in different planes. Structurally, the panels are tied together, therefore seismic joints have been incorporated into the design. The design of the ‘back texture’ allows the precast joints to be hidden.
|
|
|
What the Beresford Square entrance will look like upon completion, with the Matai parangi – vent
|
|
Beresford Square threshold element
The Beresford Square entry translates the fourth element theme and the canopy is lifted by glazed walls, incorporating a threshold element inspired by the story of Hape and incorporates the Kaupapa Māori (values, principles).
Reuben Kirkwood, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, led the design of these elements at Beresford Square in close collaboration with the wider Link Alliance design team.
“A large vent at Beresford has been cloaked in concrete with lashing detail - referencing wrapped Rakau Atua/Godsticks,” says Reuben.
“This is adorned with molded bronze Manaia detail - representing guardianship, kaitiakitanga, of Iwi-Whenua.
“The threshold of the Mercury Lane entrance represents a pare, with large-scale moulded figures of Ira Atua and Ira Tangata further referencing whakapapa and the link between Atua and tangata.
“The façade of the main building references the milky way, Te Ika Roa, stars/diamonds via architectural fins.”
|
|
|
The threshold element Te Whanau Marama within the Beresford Square entrance from the top of the surface level escalator.
|
|
|
The Beresford Square entrance threshold element, from the view or ascending the escalator to the surface.
|
|
Works update - Mercury Lane
At Mercury Lane the massive cavern beneath site continues to get smaller as it’s filled with walls, columns and floors.
|
|
|
Excellent progress has been made on the perimeter walls, the final interior walls which connect the station base slab to the Diaphragm wall.
|
|
|
These perimeter walls have been completed for the deepest three floors (B7, B6 & B5), with reinforcing for the perimeter walls completed at B4. The walls are expected to be complete by Christmas. Reinforcement for the perimeter walls can be seen in the image above.
|
|
|
Blockwork walls are also rapidly taking shape. The ones in the picture above are for back of house plant rooms.
The central lift shaft – as shown below – is complete to B2 and now forming up B2 to B1.
|
|
|
Where the Mercury Lane station box intersects with the mined tunnels at B7, the teams and tasks overlap. The pictures below in the northbound tunnel show concrete work and the installation of the under-track drainage system. All underground water is directed to sumps within the station boxes.
|
|
|
Above ground the superstructure is rapidly taking shape. The frame for the structure is largely complete with the first of three floors already poured and the second to be poured in the coming weeks. The cladding is scheduled to be installed in the first quarter of next year.
|
|
Make the (virtual) climb of our tower crane
Some of us think getting to work is a mission – battling traffic or trying to catch a short-in-supply bus!
But Link Alliance crane driver Connor has quite a journey to get to his cab at the Karanga-a-Hape (Karangahape) construction site 40-metres above our Mercury Lane site.
He strapped on a camera to show us what’s involved in getting to and from his “office” but after all that, what a workplace view he has.
Warning - if you aren’t great with heights, hover over the video pause button, just in case!
|
|
Meet…James Dunn, Crane Operator, Beresford Square
What does your job at the Link Alliance entail?
I’m the crane operator at Beresford Square. The crane we have there is a 100-tonne Hi-Lift Liebherr LTR1100 Crawler Crane.
I have lifted out all the spoil that has been excavated from the Beresford Square site and I’m now feeding construction materials to the lower levels of the station box.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Maungaturoto – Kaipara Harbour and Whangarei.
Where were you working prior to this?
I was working for Hi Lift Cranes. Prior to that I was working in Australia, from 1991 to 2014, across several projects.
What do you do when you are not working?
Eat, rest and sleep. Now and then I do like to go fishing.
|
|
Works update - Tunnels
A big focus of work in November was again the installation of the permanent tunnel lining, which is now more than 75% complete. The picture below shows the southbound tunnel at the beginning of November, prepped and ready for its permanent lining. The picture beneath that (from a similar location) is from the end of the month showing the excellent progress the team has made.
|
|
|
The image above is from the lined northbound tunnel. The team are now installing a slab to create the overtrack exhaust system (OTE) for ventilation. The slab will sit on top of the edge profiles created by the travelling formwork.
|
|
|
There has also been a focus on installing ducts, particularly in the adits. The ducts in the image above will house electrical cables.
|
|
|
The image above illustrates the difference in size between the bored and mined tunnels. The bored tunnel in the distance is the diameter of the tunnel boring machine (7.15-metres). The mined tunnels, running beneath the Karangahape ridgeline, are much larger (9-12m wide x 8.8m high) to accommodate services and platforms. The platforms will be on the left side of the picture, approximately 1.2-metres higher than in the current level.
|
|
|
Work on the cross passages continues. In the image above the door of the cross passage has been cut into the northbound bored tunnel with a wire cutter. It is then temporarily reinforced until we remove the panels to enable us to construct the door opening.
|
|
Works update - Beresford Square
At the Beresford Square entrance for Karanga-a-Hape Station it’s been another month of concrete pours, with typically three pours occurring a week. Excellent progress has been made with walls and slabs poured throughout the month.
An important milestone in November was the completion of the B7 slab in the north-bound tunnel area as shown below.
|
|
|
With this pour complete the crew are now shifting their focus to the construction of the remaining perimeter walls (permanent station walls retaining the rock and connected to the Diaphragm walls) with construction continuing into the New Year.
The team are also progressing with internal reinforced concrete walls at B5 level. As more walls and columns are installed the work area becomes smaller and more challenging – as seen in the picture below. The team have done a great job in navigating the tight space safely and efficiently. There are three more pours to complete on B5 and then the team move to the B4 floor in December.
|
|
|
In the west of the station box the escalator and lift pits have been completed (construction underway below) with more walls to be poured over the coming weeks. The team will then start works for the walls and slab for the longest escalator in the country at 40-metres long.
|
|
From school to site for local students
Earlier in the month, as part of the education engagement programme, we hosted Auckland Girls Grammar School (AGGS) at Karanga-a-Hape Station.
The Link Alliance Social Outcomes team arranged for ten lucky students to go onto site and some even went underground.
The students were also given presentations by three women working in the industry about their life and journey and how they ended up in construction.
It’s always a highlight to showcase career opportunities in construction, particularly on the project, which when finished the AGGS students may use to get to school!
|
|
Double the events, double the fun
For December only there will be two evenings of craft stalls, music and fun around Beresford Square and Karangahape Road!
Thursday 1 December shall see the usual array of live music at the pocket park and stalls around the square while the 15 December edition will have these along with a few added treats, such as a lucky dip and a pass the parcel game at the pocket park - with some amazing prizes to be won.
There are an array of food and drink deals up and down the street for both evenings along with exhibition openings and late-night shopping. Pop along to pick up some gifts for Christmas…or for yourself!
A full list of the line-up and deals can be found here.
|
|
|
|
