The seismic strengthening of the Blacksheep Building was completed in 2012 Working with PAK Design, the project converted a former plumbing works in Palmerston North into an industrial-style office, keeping its exposed brick and timber character intact.
The existing building presented three structural problems: numerous penetrations and drains through the ground slab, a lack of longitudinal bracing, and an unrestrained parapet that needed tying back. The brief added a further constraint - the client and architect wanted the original brickwork and roof trusses left fully exposed, which ruled out any conventional strengthening steel cutting across the trusses.
Vert-X designed the strengthening around inverted portal frames with cantilevered legs, so the existing trusses could carry through the space without steelwork running through them. Timber strut braces and architecturally sympathetic bracing were detailed into the roof to provide the required capacity while enhancing the building's industrial feel. The result gives the building the strength it needs while preserving the character PAK Design set out to achieve.