If you own a commercial building in Canterbury, its New Building Standard rating affects a great deal more than compliance. It affects insurance, lending, valuation, tenant attraction and, on earthquake-prone buildings, your legal obligations and timeframes.
McBride Construction carries out seismic strengthening and structural upgrade works on commercial buildings across Christchurch and Canterbury, alongside a large history of EQC earthquake repairs and seismic strengthening to residential properties. We work to your structural engineer’s design, alongside your engineer and professional advisors, and we manage the works in occupied and partially occupied buildings where the building has to keep operating. This is something McBride Construction has specialised in for over 15 years, and we have the systems and experience to deliver on time and on budget.
Your structural engineer carries out an Initial Evaluation Procedure or Detailed Seismic Assessment to establish the building’s current percentage of New Building Standard. We do not do this. We work with the engineer who does.
Once a strengthening scheme is being developed, we price the options. This is where we add the most value, because there is usually more than one way to reach a target rating and the cheapest engineering solution is not always the cheapest to build.
We assist with the building consent process, procure the specialist trades and plan the works around your tenants.
We deliver the physical works, manage staging and access, and keep the building operating where that is possible.
We provide the quality records, producer statements and as-built documentation your engineer and the council need to sign the work off.
Most strengthening projects happen in buildings that cannot simply close. We plan the works in stages, agree access and noise windows with tenants, run temporary protection and separation, and sequence the work so the building keeps trading.
Our maintenance and repair background is directly relevant here. Fifteen years of working inside occupied, damaged and operating buildings in Christchurch means our people are used to working around other people.
An engineer designs the strengthening scheme. A contractor knows what it costs to install, where the access problems are and which details are slow to build. Bringing both to the table before the design is finalised routinely takes cost out of the project. We are happy to be engaged for that input on a fee basis, whether or not we go on to do the works.
If you have a seismic assessment in hand, an earthquake-prone building notice on the wall, or you simply want to know what a strengthening scheme would cost to build, talk to us early. We will review the engineer’s report with you and give you an indicative construction cost and programme at no charge.
Brock Vuleta, Client and Business Development Manager
Phone 0800 90 90 80 or 021 373 770 · Email brock@mcbrideconstruction.co.nz
Building Christchurch with excellence since 2009
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