Full-scale fire testing of structures up to three storeys, in one of the country's most advanced laboratories
BRANZ Campus Redevelopment
BRANZ tests how New Zealand's buildings perform, and for decades it did that work in laboratories built in the 1970s and 80s. The redevelopment replaced them with a 2,200 square metre fire laboratory and a 520 square metre structures laboratory, alongside shared storage and an administration building.
RCP led project and design management from feasibility through to completion, managed the procurement of specialist testing equipment, and acted as Engineer's Representative across a multi-stage build on a live campus. The order of work was everything. RCP staged the decant, demolition, construction and commissioning so testing carried on throughout, and timed the specialist rigs so each one arrived ready to install rather than sitting idle on site. Close engagement with the researchers who use the labs kept sensitive testing conditions intact through the design.
Completed in 2025, the redevelopment roughly tripled BRANZ's testing capability while halving emissions, and added sustainability features including a 500,000 litre timber water tank and rainwater harvesting. BRANZ kept operating throughout, its primary income stream unbroken.
