Now the most visible building at Victoria University and right in the public eye, the Gateway building houses the new School of Biological Science.

The five storey building is 140m long and encompasses 12,500 square metres of teaching, research and laboratory facilities. Design features include the use of steel trusses and the installation of 800 dampers which act like shock absorbers. The Dampers are each uniquely numbered and can be swapped out and replaced after a significant earthquake with the primary structure remaining unaffected by damage.  Another feature are the “floating” columns that are not fixed to the slab.  The columns have a 130mm hole in their baseplates which slip over a solid steel spigot welded to the steel column in the basement below.  The columns are simply held down by gravity and the shear weight of the massive structure.

The building took place in two halves, which are now joined to form a “gateway” or tunnel which Culliford Drive runs through. This road needed to remain operational throughout the build as it is a critical access way between Kelburn Parade and student accommodation at Te Puni Village.

Construction took place while the university operated as per normal. Extensive planning was required to reduce the impact on staff, students and neighbouring residents.