BPC saved a Wellington icon by rebuilding the 125-year-old Days Bay wharf, using a methodology that ensured not a single sailing of the regular passenger ferries was disrupted.

Our methodology won BPC the contract and minimised disruption for locals and visitors during the project’s delivery. The environmentally friendly products and heritage focused approaches BPC proposed also appealed to the client, Hutt City Council.

The initial scope of works included removal and replacement of the existing reinforced concrete wharf deck and partial replacement of the timber joists, capping, beams, braces and walers. Piles were to be repaired or replaced and new fendering installed across the wharf. Original features like mooring bollards, handrails, and wharf furniture were to be replaced, like with like.

BPC proposed a new composite decking product to alleviate the need for any concrete on the deck. This eliminated the environmental risks associated with working with concrete in a marine environment. It also enabled the designer to be more selective in deciding which timbers to remove as the deck loading was significantly less than the concrete originally proposed in the contract. Precast concrete edges were replaced with recycled timber edge beams to revert to the wharf’s original character.

Health & Safety was the main driver in BPC’s approach to delivering this high-risk project – working over water, often at height, and near an operational ferry terminal. To protect wharf users, a scaffold pedestrian walkway was erected to provide safe, uninterrupted pedestrian access to and from the ferries.

Understanding the intrusion of the worksite on the local community, the team worked hard to develop a close, positive relationship with locals and ferry users. Among the assistance the team gave, was enabling a large delivery of penguin boxes to Matiu Somes Island in Wellington harbour.

Awards

1. Winner of 2021 Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) National Awards – Projects of a value between $2-5m category.
2. Merit Award 2020 & 2021: Prospects over $2m - Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) Wellington Wairarapa