48 | Hill Design Engineering Litecrete material of choice The two-storey home is made from Litecrete panels, using local pumice aggregate. The pumice provides in-built insulation and a 40% weight reduction compared to standard precast concrete Karen Phelps CONSTRUCTION With detailed planning, focused project management and quality construction we will build your project cost effectively and within your time frame. To get started turning your vision into reality phone us on 09 297 7150 www.mainlineconstruction.co.nz When Peter Hill, director of Hill Design Engineering, came to design his own home there was no doubt in his mind that concrete was the material of choice. The property at 5 Milano Boulevard, Karaka, was on the waterfront so concrete offered the durability he was seeking. As an engineer involved in a lot of structural design using concrete panels it was also a material he was well versed in. The two-storey home is made from Litecrete, which is manufactured using local pumice aggregate. Peter says the pumice provides in-built insulation and a 40% weight reduction compared to standard precast concrete. It also resulted in rapid construction with the 220mm thick panels premade in the factory, delivered to the site and stood up in two days. Then the interior and exterior simply needed painting to finish – another bonus in an environment where GIB is scarce. The home also included a suspended concrete midfloor speedfloor system, which basically helps ‘lock’ the walls into place. Peter says there was therefore a lot of thinking and drawings to get everything correct and that the floor acts as a kind of “heat sink”, absorbing heat from the sun during the day and releasing it at night. The 400sqm four bedroom plus study home also includes PVC window joinery from Germany, which gives better insulation value, and clay roof tiles from Spain with a 100 year guarantee. In terms of tech there is a lift and an Ata Touch system an all-in-one platform solution managing many aspects of the home from water heating and climate control to lighting, security, curtains, garage doors etc. Peter says that conduits for wiring had to be designed into the concrete panel system before manufacture. It’s made a great base for Peter to relax after work and is a good example of the type of innovative projects his company completes. Peter, a member of Engineering New Zealand, was introduced to the field when he started working for a consulting engineer straight out of school. “It was about nutting out stuff and working things out, doing the design and seeing the construction happen, the vision come to fruition. That’s what I loved.” This prompted him to head to uni where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering. “It was about nutting out stuff and working things out, doing the design and seeing the construction happen, the vision come to fruition. That’s what I loved,” he says. Peter then gained experience working with a consulting engineering company in Auckland doing a lot of civil design and supervision of civil construction work. After that he worked for Carter Holt Harvey for a number of years in the manufacturing plant in Papakura, which gave him the opportunity to assist in the design of some large timber structures, for example for Epsom Showground, which included plywood box beam construction. When he started his own firm in 1988 this variety of experience enabled Hill Design Engineering to complete a wide scope of works. The company has been involved in many significant projects in Auckland over the years including Epsom Showground (which won an IPENZ Centennial Award for engineering) and Bruce Pullman Park in Takanini, which he has been involved in the development and design of from the start. The park is a large site specifically developed for the pursuit of multiple indoor and outdoor sports and activities. A key moment during Hill Design Engineering’s involvement include lifting the 2000sqm roof structure of the indoor court centre into position in the early morning in a single lift courtesy of four high capacity cranes then bolting to the portal columns. Hill Design Engineering specialises in commercial and industrial property development as well as residential and recreational development projects. Peter says the company is proud to be involved in local projects, delivering value to its clients and the wider community.
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