THE AUCKLAND FERRY TERMINAL: CONTRIBUTING TO THE REDEVELOPMENT OF DOWNTOWN AUCKLAND

We were engaged by Auckland Transport to design six new ferry berths on the western side of Queens Wharf as part of the Downtown Ferry Basin redevelopment. Our work also included alterations to improve public access through the existing ferry terminal building and to the wharf beyond.

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Three new gangways inside spacious glazed shelters provide access to the six ferry berths. One side of each shelter sits on the wharf, and the other side sits on piles out over the water, connected to the wharf at one end by a new concrete landing. Each aluminium gangway is 33m long and 6m wide, with the top end hinged off the concrete landing and the bottom end rolling on floating pontoons that rise and fall with the tide.

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Benefits of having us on the team:

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• Our design had to cater for tide movements, storms, and protect against corrosion. The gangway structure is made from marine grade aluminium with glass side walls. The concrete pile foundations are protected by HDPE sleeves and will have GRC cladding with an architectural pattern. The concrete landing is constructed from a special type of dense concrete that fully-protects the steel inside it, and the steel superstructure is protected by a special paint coating.

• The client and the architect wanted to create a high-quality architectural feature and to make a statement. We successfully integrated the engineering, making it work with the architect’s design.

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• We saved Auckland Transport time and money on the renovations to the ferry building by planning the alterations so they would have minimum impact on the existing structure. For example, one upstairs room housed critical electronic equipment that needed to remain operational while the area beneath was altered and refurbished. We designed temporary propping and planned the permanent structure around it.