| 49 T T Hugh de Lacy Smart solutions the key to success The firm’s expertise covers everything from office buildings, houses, and apartments to educational structures, auditoriums, industrial and large retail construction, as well as timber bridges, low-damage technologies, and seismic strengthening. PTL Structural & Fire ENGINEERING PTL Structural and Fire has grown into a respected provider of structural and fire engineering services across New Zealand, with its head office in Christchurch and branches in Auckland and Queenstown. The company’s directors, Tobias Smith, Francesco Sarti, and Daniel Moroder, have built a team that delivers solutions in a proactive and pragmatic manner, with design cooperation and smart solutions key to everything they do. “At the University of Canterbury we were involved in the development of advanced timber technology, and all three of us graduated with PhDs in 2015-2016,” says Tobias. “We then found ourselves wondering what we were going to do with our qualifications, and given that structural timber buildings, especially multi-storeyed ones, were attracting more and more attention from the residential and commercial building sectors, it seemed logical that we harness that specialty in the company we formed.” A decade later, PTL has expanded to 14 staff, with projects in New Zealand and around the world. The firm’s expertise covers everything from office buildings, houses, and apartments to educational structures, auditoriums, industrial and large retail construction, as well as timber bridges, low-damage technologies, and seismic strengthening. Although the firm originally focused on structural design, fire engineering has become a key part of PTL’s ability to serve its clients’ needs. “While the question of wooden buildings in fire was one that drove us to develop a fire engineering capability, we quickly noticed that in general there is little collaboration between these fields, which often leads to design gaps and client frustrations. “We provide a coordinated response, eliminating surprises and saving our clients money.” Timber remains a passion of the company and PTL staff love showcasing what the material can do. “Timber in multi-storey buildings, and all buildings, offers architecturally attractive features and solutions,” Francesco says. “The market tends to favour ‘hero’ projects, but there is significant untapped potential in hybrid solutions incorporating steel and concrete that still deliver substantial carbon savings.” PTL’s directors highlight that New Zealand is among the world’s leaders in structural timber uptake, with more timber buildings per capita than Australia. However, the material is still viewed as unconventional by much of the industry, largely due to risk aversion and cost concerns. Technical capacity is not a limiting factor; New Zealand suppliers provide advanced timber components globally, with PTL designing locally produced timber buildings that are supplied around the world. Timber is a passion but not an obsession, with PTL’s expertise covering the full scope of structural and fire engineering, including buildings designed only in concrete or steel. “We often get called the timber specialists, but we are not just timber specialists, we provide quality engineering services in all materials including timber, something not many structural and especially fire engineering firms can offer,” Tobias says. “In an era where the industry focuses on hybrid construction and using the best material in the right place, this broad expertise has and continues to serve our clients well,” Daniel adds. 03 344 5972 | bushnell.co.nz MANUFACTURING PREMIUM ENGINEERED TIMBER FOR OVER 30 YEARS techlam.nz // 0800 832 452 // sales@techlam.co.nz // NEW TO MARKET // Ask us about Techlam pre-engineered truss packages developped in partnership with PTL Structural & Fire.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=