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First stage of demolition complete for AC Baths

Monday 29 October 2012, 1:25PM

By Taupo District Council

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TAUPO

The demolition of the indoor 25m pool building is complete, and has uncovered several issues with the building’s structure.

During the demolition, the project team found that some of the timber in the internal and external walls will need to be removed and replaced because of its poor condition. However, most of the timber will not need replacing. Work continues on the new walls and the internal and external framing, which is nearly complete.

The project team also found many of the steel beams that sit below the external windows were quite corroded.  This means they would have potentially posed a safety hazard if left any longer.

Taupō District Council Strategic Project Manager, Andrew Boden, says about 75 per cent of the beams were badly rusted, and some will need to be replaced. “The poor condition of the steel beams was reasonably surprising but not completely unexpected and was caused by the lack of a vapour barrier and poor window design,” Boden says.

A retaining wall outside the indoor 25m pool building that manages the drop in level between the Taupō Events Centre and indoor 25m pool building is being replaced because the previous wall had collapsed.

The AC Baths are currently undergoing the early stages of a $5.9 million refurbishment. The work is being done to rectify errors made in a previous upgrade of the complex in 2002/03. The refurbishment of the indoor 25m pool building began last month and is due for completion in early 2013, with the remainder of the AC Baths refurbishment due for completion at the end of 2013.