Business South October 2020

4 | Award winning geotechnical and environmental consultancy, ENGEO lives by its ethos that letting people shine is best for its business and clients. From small beginnings in Christchurch, ENGEO has ourished becoming one of the most highly regarded geotechnical and environmental rms operating throughout Australasia. Celebrating 10 years of business in New Zealand, over that time ENGEO opened o ces in Wellington, Auckland, Tauranga, Queenstown, Queensland and Adelaide. ENGEO’s professional team includes geotechnical engineers, geologists, environmental scientists and asbestos specialists. “We are not just another typical engineering and environmental consultancy,” says Neil Charters, Principal Engineer and Queenstown Lead. “Sure, we’re professional, reliable, and customer focused, but we’re also dynamic, innovative and creative. We thrive by nding meaningful opportunities to promote growth and prosperity for our clients, employees and communities.” Showcasing the specialist skills o ered by ENGEO’s Queenstown team, their expertise was recently engaged by Skyline Enterprises to undertake geotechnical investigations into how the ground and the O’Connells building might perform in the event of a seismic event. While redeveloping the iconic Queenstown landmark, Skyline Enterprises took the opportunity to investigate its resilience to earthquake as part of that programme. ENGEO’s Senior Queenstown Engineer, SamMurray explains, “We drilled bore holes into the ground and inserted probes to see what the ground condition was like beneath the building and what the foundations are sitting on. We worked very closely with the structural engineer and our joint assessment informed Skyline there was bene t in strengthening the building, even though it met compliance standards.” Following assessment, ENGEO were engaged to improve the ground performance against a future earthquake. “We designed a ground improvement programme that’s currently underway which includes injecting 1200 resin columns beneath the building’s foundations to a depth of ve metres beneath the basement to improve the ground performance in the event of seismic activity.” Neil Charters adds that ground improvement work like this is reasonably new technology and requires quite specialist geotechnical modeling. “That’s something our Queenstown o ce can o er, using specialist skills within ENGEO from around the country. It’s a point of di erence that we can o er the region.” Expertise in action at ENGEO Your premier geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy, proudly serving projects in New Zealand and abroad. www.engeo.co.nz DEVELOPMENT Skyline Enterprises Landmark mall gets new look Each of O’Connells’ four floors is being modified to retain a mix of retail and commercial spaces, with a fully revitalised ground floor food hall. from page 3 While the existing building met seismic stand- ards, Alastair says redevelopment allowed Skyline the opportunity to be proactive in ensuring the building withstands a significant earthquake event, as well as modernising the facilities within the building. Each of O’Connells’ four floors is being modified to retain a mix of retail and commer- cial spaces, as well as a fully revitalised ground floor food hall. “O’Connells will be the largest retail and hospitality development in the town centre, creating a convenient, diverse and contempo- rary destination. “Feedback to date tells us that this rede- velopment is being closely followed by those looking to expand into the Queenstown mar- ket,” says Alastair. “We also believe a number of the dining op- erators will be offshoots of existing businesses in Queenstown.” Reflecting upon the impact of Covid-19 Alastair says that Skyline has been taking a pragmatic approach, and construction is pro- gressing well with the lead contractor Naylor Love. “It is anticipated we will ramp up promotion of the project and leasing opportunities short- ly, and we remain focused on achieving our target of a November 2021 opening.” The O’Connells redevelopment is Skyline Enterprises second major commercial building project in central Queenstown in recent years. In 2016, the company opened the Marine Parade Building located on Queenstown’s bustling lakefront, with the finished building further complementing the area’s luxury precinct. Known for its pioneering spirit and focus on innovation, Skyline Enterprises has been a cornerstone of New Zealand tourism since 1967, the year that the company finished con- struction of the now world-famous gondola, transporting sightseers to the restaurant atop Bob’s Peak. From those humble beginnings, diversifi- cation and expansion has seen the company evolve and Skyline Enterprises now operates an expansive tourism portfolio both domesti- cally and internationally. Skyline is proud to offer world-class leisure and entertainment experiences for the do- mestic and international traveller in both New Zealand and overseas locations. “We firmly believe the new O’Connells will achieve our goal of creating Queenstown’s most exciting retail environment, bringing to- gether aspirational brands and unique dining experiences to create an innovative experi- ence for everyone.”