Cromwell Memorial Hall project forging ahead

A couple of weeks ago if you’d gone past the Cromwell Memorial Hall site you might have been forgiven for thinking that a very fancy tennis court was being built, by the markings that appeared on the red slab.

These mark the various community spaces on the floor plan that are all part of the design of the ambitious project on the Melmore Terrace site.

The markings are starting to disappear this week, as the continuation of slab reinforcement in readiness for the next concrete pour continues in this part of the $45.8 million build.

People will have noticed that the steel framing, the first part of the vertical structure, is going up rapidly.

“Seeing the steel structures go up is a really exciting part of the project because you start to see the building rise from the ground and get more of a sense of what it will look like,” CODC Property and Facilities Manager Garreth Robinson said.

“Towards the end of the year, the first of the precast panels will start to go up, and then the building will really start to take shape.”

This week, Mr Robinson presented a status update to the Cromwell Community Board, that the project was tracking well.

The project team has continued to work in with stakeholders and neighbouring properties about the construction timelines and also, to ease any disruption.

Servicing infrastructure such as three waters connections and vehicle access are to be completed by Christmas.

Fast Facts:

• The building foundations and slabs contain enough reinforcing bar to reach from Cromwell to Roxburgh and back (140kms)
• A water storage tank that will provide the site with its own sustainable water supply has been installed
• From a waste / sustainability perspective, everything is prefabricated, therefore very little wastage
• Whatever waste is generated, is recycled and repurposed – e.g., saved 40 tonnes of material from landfill
• End use of materials have been recycled from the old hall, such as roofing iron (destined for old Cromwell) and the famous sprung flooring
• Emphasis on futureproofing, safety aspects and ability to withstand e.g., natural disasters such as earthquakes etc.