Burnham Gymnasium - Sport

Client:          NZ Defence Force

Project Brief

Construction began on the new gymnasium in February 2009. Up until then, the project team had worked closely to produce a design that was going to be functional, hard wearing, low maintenance and above all aesthetically pleasing.

A 920m2 sprung timber floor in the main hall, is the heart of the building, allowing the army to play sports such as basket ball, volley ball, net ball & badminton all to national standard. A large weights & fitness room caters for all strength and cardiovascular training requirements a modern army could need.

The external skin of the building was formed using Kingspan panels. The panels allowed a much faster construction time than traditional materials and methods by providing an all in one external layer. The insulation values achieved by the Kingspan panel are far greater than an equivalent polystyrene filled product, along with being totally fire proof.

During the construction of the gymnasium roof, specialist safety netting was used for the first time in the south island. This provided for complete peace of mind for the operatives working on the roof, as a fall into the nets would mean an immediate return to work with nothing more than dented pride.

Only 7 months later, in September 2009, Mainzeal handed over a completed building, on time, to the Client.

The combined efforts of all parties involved in the design and construction of the new gymnasium have produced a premier training establishment for the New Zealand Defence Force. Mainzeal are proud to have been a part of that team.

Mainzeal received a Gold Award in the 2010 RMB Commercial Project Awards for this project.