McKee Fehl recently collaborated with Holmes and Cheops Holdings on an industry‑first seismic retrofit project that applied the latest guidance from the ReCast Floors research programme to a real‑world building.
The project focused on strengthening a 1980s multi‑storey reinforced concrete building with hollow‑core floors at 80 The Terrace, Wellington, targeting seismic performance of at least 100% NBS while enabling adaptive re‑use of the building.
The findings from this project were presented at the 2026 New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) Annual Conference, where the paper outlines the design philosophy, construction methodology, and lessons learned from translating cutting‑edge seismic research into practical, buildable solutions. The paper highlights the importance of early contractor involvement, close collaboration between project partners, and targeted retrofit strategies to achieve resilient and sustainable outcomes for existing buildings.
The full paper, Lessons learned from the first building retrofit adaptation of ReCast, details the retrofit approach adopted, including supplemental damping, diaphragm strengthening, and hollow‑core floor retrofits, and shares insights that are relevant to similar buildings across Wellington and New Zealand.