Vector Arena update: Janurary

[IanRitchie]

Troubled stadium tipped to open in March
By Anne Gibson
The Vector Arena is a year behind schedule but only finishing touches now remain, says Mainzeal's Richard Yan.

A year after it was due to open, contractors on Auckland's troubled $80 million Vector Arena have revealed the exact nature of problems they had to overcome with the complicated roof.

Auckland's warm, damp climate threw up serious weathertightness, humidity and condensation issues for the contractors, who have told how the job was one of their most trying.

Months after the controversial Quay Park arena was due to open, its doors are still shut and no opening date has been announced.

Now, roofing specialists and designers have told Trends magazine of the extreme difficulty involved in building the complicated curved roof in a damp climate. The roof is so high, such a complicated design and so large that Auckland's damp posed a major threat.

Perils from high humidity and the need to ensure weathertightness in a city with a high annual rainfall created the first series of dilemmas for designers and workers.

Then there were condensation risks posed by packing 12,200 people into the fully closed arena, which is 120m long and 100m wide.

John Simmons, managing director of Nuralite Waterproofing, said architects Peddle Thorp had immediately recognised problems with installing and waterproofing the complex, curved, central hourglass-shaped roof areas and the large box gutters.

Design, application, performance and costing tests were carried out and a special coloured sheet waterproofing system was used to clad the roof and gutters, Mr Simmons said.

However the architects were also worried about humidity and possible condensation problems with the roof when capacity crowds were packed in, he said, so special materials had to be used. An underlay was applied with special ventilating qualities.

Mr Simmons said Terry Gill, project architect for Peddle Thorp Architects and builder Mainzeal Property and Construction, met Phil Fry of Nuralite Waterproofing to evaluate the situation.

Roofing specialist Dimond made the roof of two elliptical tilted planes. Scott Townsend of Dimond said problems posed by the arena included its height, the roof's angle and the length of sheets to be installed. The sheets were so big - some up to 47.5 m - that they had to be manufactured on site.

Dimond had worked on the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre at Manukau, Jade Stadium in Christchurch and the Waikato Stadium, Mr Townsend said, and had the ability to cope with the challenges.

Yesterday Mainzeal boss Richard Yan said his team was almost finished and he expected the arena to open in March. The staff would meet on Monday to plan the final stages.

"We are on the way to closing it down and our team is coming together next week to get a definitive time for finishing. It's just last-minute finishing-off," Mr Yan said.

Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard said the arena would be ready in time for the Netball World Championships in November if needed.

The International Federation of Netball Associations took the championships off Fiji after the coup and Mr Hubbard said he would welcome the event with open arms.

The arena was 99.5 per cent completed and should be finished in February or March at the latest, he said.

Last April, a safety problem forced most workers off the site after problems with a giant truss which supports the roof.

The latest roofing problems follow a series of delays, cost overruns and a bitter battle between Mainzeal and Crawford Architects.

The builder said it would sue Crawford for more than $1 million but Crawford protested it had done nothing wrong.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story. ... 027AF1010F

[Jeffles]

Maybe this venue will help attract international acts that are not popular enough to pack out Erricson but can command more space than say Trusts Stadium.

Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide all have similar sized arenas for concerts and do well to get acts.

I'm still hopeful.

[IanRitchie]

Construction halted at Akld arena


Apr 6, 2006

Safety concerns have disrupted the construction of New Zealand's largest indoor stadium.

Construction at the Vector Arena near Auckland's old railway station was halted on Thursday and workers were evacuated from the roof of the stadium on Thursday and told not to work under the stadium's dome until emergency repairs are carried out.

One News Business correspondent Owen Poland says some workers told him the main beam supporting the dome is unstable.

Mainzeal Construction has issued a statement saying it had received an independent report which suggests it has to modify parts of the roof truss.

It is not the first time there have been issues at the arena. The project is currently six months late and not expected to be completed until July. Poland says it has cost overruns of around $12 million on an $80 million project.

In addition Mainzeal's chief executive resigned two days ago and the project's architect and contractor are suing each other. Mainzeal Construction says the specifications and drawings for the job were inadequate. And US based Crawford Architects is suing Mainzeal for withholding payment of a million dollars. It says it can't be blamed for any design deficiencies.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411415/696453

Someone from the Herald must read Austadiums, in the front page article today they compared the VA to Wembley only days after i did. Well, that may be coincidence.

[IanRitchie]

Auckland arena investor charged with $470m fraud in US

27.04.06
By Bernard Orsman and Anne Gibson

Problems plaguing Auckland's new indoor arena have taken another twist with news that a Miami-based investor in the project, Jack Utsick, has been charged in the United States with defrauding investors of $470 million.

This follows cost blowouts, late delivery, structural problems with the main curved roof truss, material problems, labour shortages and hostility between the builder and operator on the country's first big public-private partnership.

The United States' Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Mr Utsick with fleecing 3300 investors from 1998 to 2005 to finance dozens of events, some featuring stars such as Elton John and Shania Twain.

Instead of concerts, investor funds went in part to finance two multi-million-dollar condominiums in Miami Beach and a "lavish lifestyle" for Mr Utsick, according to the Miami Herald.

The commission said it had reached a settlement with Mr Utsick and two other music promoters, who had agreed to freeze assets, repay investors and pay penalties. The agreement was made without the defendants admitting or denying the allegations of the complaint and came after the commission filed an action in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking to appoint a receiver to take over the defendants' assets.

The case has raised alarm bells at the Auckland City Council, which has sought an explanation from the private sector joint venture that will operate the 12,200-seat Vector Arena about any implications for the $80 million project. Arts, community and recreation general manager Dr Jill McPherson said the council had learned that Worldwide Entertainment, run by Mr Utsick, had been placed in liquidation and the shares passed to a court in Florida.

Worldwide Entertainment owns 25 per cent in Quay Park Arena Management, which signed a contract with the council in May 2004 to build, own and run the arena for 40 years.

Sydney-based Jacobsen Venue Management owns the other 75 per cent of Quay Park shares.

Under the contract, the council paid $68.2 million and Quay Park invested $11 million.

"The development agreement requires us to be informed of any change in shareholding and we believe this is a change in shareholding," Dr McPherson said.

"My understanding is the shares in effect have passed to the Florida court.

"What we don't understand, and have the lawyers looking at, is what that means for a shareholding in a New Zealand registered company."

When completed, the arena will be the country's largest indoor sporting and entertainment venue.


Slow job

* The $80 million, 12,200-seat Vector Arena in downtown Auckland has design issues, building difficulties, labour shortages, cost over-runs and is way behind schedule.
* It was due to be finished six months ago. Latest estimate is August 31 but problems with the roof may push that back.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story. ... 027AF1010E

[Timbo]

What Auckland needs is a brand new 70,000 seat national Rugby stadium, and a 20,000 seat cricket ground to replace the monstrocity that is Eden Park, not this thing.

[Egan]

Maybe this venue will help attract international acts that are not popular enough to pack out Erricson but can command more space than say Trusts Stadium.

Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide all have similar sized arenas for concerts and do well to get acts.

I'm still hopeful.

Burswood Dome doesn't have to many Concerts, and they either use Challenge Stadium, Metro Nightclub, Pubs, Burswood Theatre...

And then during prime concert season.

Subiaco Oval, MES, Arena Joondalup and Claremont Showgrounds are used.

The fact is we LOSE bands because we don't have a 12,000 venue.

Continue back on the Vector Arena...ignore me.

[IanRitchie]

Did i just get debunked? Is that you Mayor Hubbard?

[IanRitchie]

Their website says opening 2006, so my money is on 11:59pm December 31st with the first event to be staged 2010.

[the crow]

ill have aword to my friend sam who works at crawfords the architect..the design looks like tho origional COX/creative spaces one..

[tom]

Just waiting for it to be completed. Would be nice to see the Breakers fill it at least once
The Inside reminds me of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

[Egan]

So is it only going to hold 7,500 in Netball mode?

Which would probably be the same amount in Basketball mode?

Hmm, although the Breakers crowds have been pretty dissapointing at North Shore, so I wouldn't expect them to play many at this venue.

[IanRitchie]

The floor can hold 7,500 people.

[IanRitchie]

And FFS Egan, what have i been telling you?

North Shore = far away from everywhere!

Vector Arena = city centre = close to people.