18 January, 2017

Student accommodation about to take shape!

Otago Polytechnic’s new 20 million-dollar student accommodation village is about to take form with the delivery of the first truck-load of timber structure.

Columns and beams for the west wing will be erected this week, as foundation work continues. Early next week, the structure will really start to fill out with floor and wall panels going up.

Tracey Howell, Otago Polytechnic Campus Project Manager, is eagerly watching the building site, thrilled that it’s running on time and on budget. “There has been a lot of work on the foundations – 700 stone columns were drilled into the soil before the foundation slab could be poured. It’ll be really exciting to see walls go up so we can get a real sense of its size” she says.

Jason Tutty, Naylor Love Operations Manager, says the construction industry is also excitedly following the build. “It’s the first time this type of product will be used in Dunedin, and it’s the tallest in New Zealand. We’re really pleased with how it’s progressing so far.”

The material is called cross laminated timber (CLT). This is the generic name given to structural building panels made from wood elements glued together in layers. It’s the tallest and largest (by volume) CLT building in New Zealand.

The timber construction will go up in 11 stages over 90 days encompassing columns, beams, floors and walls.

The Student Accommodation village is the first fully owned Otago Polytechnic residence, and will have 231 beds. These will be single dormitory rooms, studios and four-bedroom apartments. All meals will be provided for dormitory residents.

The accommodation will be finished prior to January 31st 2018, in perfect time for the students to arrive.

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