Rathkeale Auditorium

Rathkeale College's auditorium was closed in May 2019 due to its classification as earthquake-prone after an initial seismic assessment. Catalyst was brought on board as project managers and architects to lead the effort to reopen the auditorium as soon as possible while keeping the administration end of the building operational.

Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 lockdown, the team was able to develop alternative methodologies and opened up work fronts in a different sequence to stay on schedule without incurring additional costs. A significant amount of investigative work was necessary before the structural details were confirmed, with some details being particularly difficult in terms of buildability.

The contract was awarded to Rigg Zschokke, Construction with a requirement to have the auditorium reopened in time for the college's prizegiving. The project was tendered based on the scope of work outlined in the preliminary seismic assessment and was consented in three stages before being completed.

The end result was to ensure that the significant amount of remedial work done behind the building, including seismic and strengthening, was not visible, while still delivering a structurally stable and safe auditorium. The team's collaborative efforts ensured that the project was completed on time and within the original budget, despite the pandemic's challenges.

In 2021, the Rathkeale College auditorium was reopened in time for the school's prizegiving ceremony, providing students and faculty with a safe and reliable venue for events and performances.

The project team went on to become a finalists in the New Zealand Building Industry Awards for interdisciplinary collaboration.  

• Project team

• Xin Jiang,