Papakura Water Treatment Plant

Architect: ICR Studio

Contractor: Brian Perry Civil

Project Background

In early 2020, the total level of water stored in Auckland’s dams dropped below 50% capacity, for the first time in 25 years. Facing increasingly patchy rainfall patterns, Watercare (Auckland’s water management body) decided to reinstate the Papakura Water Treatment Plant as part of their drought management plan.

The site’s newly constructed administration building required a ramp deck and stair system to facilitate access compliant to NZBC D1 for accessibility. The project also required modular handrails for various other areas of the site, including retaining walls and stairs. The main contractor, Brian Perry Civil, got in touch with Moddex to supply and install the handrails, at which point Moddex proposed a full design build solution for not only the handrails, but the ramp deck and stair structure also. Brian Perry Civil accepted the Moddex design build package which put the full scope under one contractor rather than multiple contractors, and utilised the benefits of the Moddex Ezibilt system.

Challenge

When Moddex explored the task and prepared for the installation, they discovered that the concrete substrate was slightly sloping, and that the site was not as per the original architectural drawings. This meant that in order to deliver the project on time and to a high standard that would ensure stringent compliance guidelines were met, they would need to adjust the ramp in order to meet the site conditions.

Solution

"Darren Fenton, Construction Manager at Brian Perry Civil"

"The benefit of choosing Moddex was that we were able to just provide a concrete slab, walk away, and then Moddex would come in and build it for us within two days,”

Moddex’s adjustable systems are fully manufactured off site, meaning quality control can be fully assured.

After arriving onsite and realising that the site was not as per the original drawings, Moddex were able to quickly revise the design, reissue the drawings to suit the specifics of the site, and make the changes while still delivering on time. Moddex’s Ezibilt system allows for easy expansion or reconfiguration, giving it an unrivalled level of flexibility as the needs of projects, sites, or uses evolve over time.

“The big advantage for us is in time and resource savings,” Darren explains. “This would have taken us three weeks, and you’d have to schedule council inspections in between, and you’d have to have a fairly skilled labour force to do it. With Moddex, there was a two day turnaround, and they even dealt with the hiccups on site while delivering in the agreed timeframe.”

Moddex’s adjustable design is reusable, making it not only an incredibly efficient and cost-effective option, but a durable and sustainable one as well. “We’d definitely use the Moddex system again,” Darren adds. “It saved us a huge amount of time and meant our guys could go on with other time-critical tasks without having to worry about this – which would have taken a lot longer if we had done it traditionally.”

DOWNLOAD THE FULL CASE STUDY HERE

LOCATION : Papakura, NZ

CLIENT : Brian Perry Civil

INDUSTRY : Water

PRODUCTS USED : Assistrail® - Disability Handrails AR30, AR40