New era for surf lifesaving club

New Zealand’s oldest surf lifesaving club in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton is getting a new club house built by Citycare Property.

The New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club premises is taking shape at the beach north of the pier in Christchurch.

Its new footprint of 607 square metres is larger than the previous clubhouse, which needed to be repaired after sustaining damage in the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes.

Designed by South by Southeast Architects, the clubhouse features changing rooms, a boat shed and boat ramp, surfboard storage , first aid facilities and a flexible space on the ground floor, Citycare Property Project Manager Sean Boland says.

The first floor has an observation deck on the seaward side of the building to enable lifeguards using binoculars to keep watch over swimmers and beach users.

The inside space will be available as a venue for the community with full function facilities and extensive views from Taylor’s Mistake to the Kaikoura Ranges.

Citycare Property is the main contractor for the New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club.

Senior Site Manager Glenn Edwards is managing some 38 sub-contractors.

Construction began last October and the new clubhouse is due to be completed in August.

The design is high end and has some special features so the seaside building will cope well with exposure to the elements – wind, sand and salty air.

Presently, the external framing is underway and the “warm roof” is being installed.

In a traditional roof, the insulation is in the ceiling cavity or between the joists. For a “warm roof”, a rigid insulation layer is placed above the structural deck and covered with a waterproof membrane.

The exterior cladding is a combination of polished pre-cast concrete panels, glass in aluminium extrusion and architectural feature walls that have Tricoya soffits and Accoya weatherboards.

These products are made from New Zealand-grown radiata pine which is processed in a facility in The Netherlands to alter the physical properties of the wood so it’s more durable, stable and has a lifespan similar to hardwoods.

New Brighton Surf Bathing and Lifesaving Club was established on 14 July 1910 and the original clubhouse was destroyed in a fire in 1954.

It was rebuilt on the present site and opened in November 1957.

This summer the club lifesavers have operated from a portacom and container provided by Citycare Property, patrolling one of the busiest beaches in Christchurch at the weekends and on public holidays.