Trophies keep stacking up for Tūranga

The list of accolades for Tūranga keep growing, with the central library building picking up yet another prestigious award.

At the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) awards in London last week, engineering firm Lewis Bradford won the Award for Structures in Extreme Conditions for its work on Tūranga.

The IStructE annual awards are generally accepted as the ‘world champs’ for structural engineering.

“It’s a huge accomplishment, particularly when you look at what other projects were up for the award. This award puts Tūranga amongst the best buildings in the world so we are delighted for Lewis Bradford and all those who helped in the building’s construction,’’ says Christchurch City Council Major Facilities, Vertical Capital Delivery Manager Alistair Pearson.

Lewis Bradford Managing Director Craig Lewis says he cannot describe the pride he felt when the company was announced as the winner of the award.

“It is still sinking in even now,’’ he says.

The IStructE award is the latest in a growing list of awards that Tūranga has picked up since it opened in October 2018.

Earlier this month Tūranga received the highest Public Architecture accolade from the New Zealand Institute of Architects, while earlier this year it was one of four finalists  for the 2019 International Federation of Library Associations/Systematic Public Library of the Year Award.

It also won the Supreme Award at the Property Council New Zealand’s Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards,  the Warren and Mahoney Civic and Arts Property Award; the Civic category award at the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards;  the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering’s Seismic Resilience Award for Design to Achieve Low Damage, and the Structural Engineering Society of New Zealand's Supreme Award.

“We are so proud to have Tūranga as our central library. It’s a world-class building that stands out for all the right reasons,’’ says Council Head of Libraries and Information Carolyn Robertson.