Earthquake Engineers Score $3m Contract In Turkey

Capital Earthquake Engineers Score $3m Contract In Turkey

Positively Wellington Business congratulates members of the Earthquake Engineering New Zealand cluster, whose innovative technology and world-leading practices to reduce the consequences of earthquakes on communities have led to a $3 million contract win in Istanbul, Turkey.

Earthquake Engineering New Zealand (EENZ) cluster member Beca International Consultants Ltd have signed a contract with the Turkish government as a lead partner of a joint venture with Turkish consulting engineers Prota. Other EENZ cluster members involved in the collaborative bid are Holmes Group, the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, and David Hopkins Consulting. The eight-month contract they have won involves a feasibility study of the earthquake strengthening of 369 multi-storey apartment buildings in the Istanbul municipality of Bakirkoy. Dr Richard Sharpe of Beca International Consultants will direct the project while Dr David Hopkins will be the resident project manager. There were a number of deaths from building collapses in this municipality following the devastating 1999 earthquake that claimed at least 25 000 Turkish lives. Beca will set up a branch office in Turkey to deliver the contract, and the consortium will be well positioned to bid for consulting contracts in follow-on projects, which are expected to be worth US$12 million.

“This win is evidence of the international reputation local earthquake engineers have built for their cutting-edge work in this area, and demonstrates the significant leverage the business cluster model can provide for our businesses in the global marketplace,” says Positively Wellington Business’ (PWB’s) Chief Executive Philip Lewin.

PWB’s predecessor, Capital Development Agency, fostered the EENZ cluster in 1998, as a forum for members to share knowledge, develop new approaches and ideas for generating business, and to facilitate cooperation amongst members in pursuit of contracts. The cluster now has over 30 members and its focus is on overseas work that would not otherwise be generated by individual members – over the next five years EENZ estimates that collaborative cluster initiatives will assist members generate an additional 15% in export income above what they can achieve by themselves. EENZ also receives support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

“The Istanbul contract is a terrific endorsement of the cluster concept in that it’s involved a number of firms, whose skills are brought together under one banner. It’s the result of considerable patience and perseverance and it will help to place our earthquake engineers on the map for further work internationally,” says EENZ co-chairperson Dr David Hopkins.

Other business clusters and networks spawned by PWB as a way of encouraging networking and collaboration for commercial benefit include: Natural Hazards New Zealand Cluster; I.C.T Wellington Cluster; Wellington Creative Manufacturing Cluster; Tertiary Education Cluster; Maori and Pacific Consultants Network ; Biotechnology Network; Trade Navigators Network; and Digital Content Network.

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