Dudley Park Aquatic Centre Wins New Zealand Engineering Excellence Award

Christchurch, New Zealand, December 5, 2011 - The Dudley Park Aquatic Centre has won the 2011 NZ Engineering Excellence Award in the Sustainability and Clean Technology category. Representatives from Waimakariri District Council and engineering consultant MWH New Zealand accepted the award from MP Dr Nick Smith at the gala awards ceremony held in Wellington on 30 November.

The Aquatic Centre was commended as a showcase for sustainable design and waste minimisation. Demolition and construction waste was minimised through application of sustainable design principles, particularly in regard to selection of materials and sizing, and 97.4 per cent of the potential waste stream was diverted through onsite reuse and offsite recycling.

MWH Project Manager Jan Stanway says, "the pool complex achieves an energy consumption rate matching best-practice benchmarks in energy efficiency through the careful selection and configuration of plant and equipment and through and integrated design of the main heat pump plant, ventilation systems, pool water systems, domestic hot water systems and the electrical controls and lighting systems. Ultraviolet light water treatment and sand filters minimise the use of harmful chemicals and consequently improve the pool environment and the complex has been designed for possible extension to a larger leisure centre."

Waimakariri District Council Aquatic Centre Manager, Simon Hart says "Feedback we've received from the Aquatic Centre users has been consistently positive and, although most users are not aware of the details of energy-efficiency levels or the technical engineering, there is a high level of public appreciation of the end product - a sustainable and safe aquatic centre"

The centre officially opened in April 2010. It will reopen on Monday 19 December following programmed maintenance.

Pictured (left to right): Craig Sargison of the Waimakariri District Council, Jan Stanway an MWH Project Manager, and Hon Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change