Waste-free roof replacement for A and B Blocks

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The twin peaks of WITT’s white-encased A and B blocks have been a striking landmark for many months while the buildings have been re-roofed.

With the project nearing completion this month, the Livingstone Building site team are proud to report that to date they have achieved 90 per cent diversion of all waste materials.

Metal and timber made up the bulk of the waste from the large roof area. Steel roof sheets were recycled to Energy City Recyclers in New Plymouth. Sarking (a method of interior construction widely used in Australia and New Zealand where wooden panels are nailed over the beams and joists of a building frame) - in this case plywood sheeting - was layered beneath the steel roofing.

The site team identified opportunities to re-use much of the 14 tonnes of sarking on other Livingstone sites in Taranaki.

Examples of this use include:

  • Providing protection from falling objects at the Downtown Carpark Seismic Upgrade project.
  • Cut for use for temporary works at the CC Ward restoration site.
  • Installation as boundary hoarding during the new build of The Junction – Zero Waste Hub at Colson Road.  

“It’s a win-win that this re-use aligns with the core principle of The Junction to divert materials from landfill. Keeping the material in a circular movement locally has also minimised carbon emissions from landfilling or the manufacture of new product,” says Livingstone Building Project Manager, Jonathan Hicks.

Learning opportunities for trades students

The re-roofing project also offered the chance for a field trip on campus and hands-on learning for WITT trades ākonga.

Mid-way through the year a group of plumbing students - wearing hard hats and high-vis vests – went up in the world to the fourth floor of Block A to learn about health and safety as part of the New Zealand Certificate in Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying.

Tutor Brendon Metcalfe said the rooftop trip was a chance to “get the class onto a commercial worksite and to go through the health and safety induction and accessing the site procedures.”

This included the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) and conduct on the site, experiencing different aspects of the scaffolding, the lifts, the rooftop. “Areas they might not get involved in very often in their plumbing careers. It was a great opportunity to do the visit at WITT.”

They had a one-hour health and safety site induction followed by a questionnaire prior to accessing the roof top.

Student twin brothers Samuel and Matthew Hodge enjoyed the experience. “It was cool to see the layout without the roof being on – just the framing and all the plumbing and electrical infrastructure. It’s good to get a real-life opportunity to see a site up close this, and to learn all the health and safety aspects,” says Samuel. He’s looking to do a plumbing apprenticeship and continue studying.

Aaron Sarten appreciated getting to know the different procedures and what the site manager is responsible for.

The big reveal

The next phase is internal refurbishments to replace ceilings.  For the work to be completed safely, sections of the ground floor B-block are currently closed, and access will be restricted to some areas until early March, including the mezzanine floor and outdoor veranda.

The roof “reveal” is scheduled to commence January 13, while painting of the building exteriors is continuing.

“We envisage that Livingstone Building will deliver the fully completed project on time by mid-April 2025,” says Linda Dravitski, Director of Support Services at WITT.

“This is the largest capital investment made at WITT since 2016 and the visual impact of the changes to both four storey buildings will be significant,” Linda says. 

“The project embeds our everyday sustainability initiatives, which has been a focus of WITT campus operations for some time, both at a decision-making level and a practical level involving infrastructure improvements. "

The support from the community for the re-roofing project has been enormous, she says.  "It’s an investment into the students, this kura and local delivery of vocational education in the Taranaki region.”

 

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