Ōrākei Wharf Piles

LDE undertook a detailed investigation to determine the extent of the pile failures and repair methods to be carried out in situ.

Ōrākei wharf, an iconic part of Auckland’s industrial heritage, this 230m long reinforced concrete wharf was built in 1983.  The concrete piers of the wharf showed signs of rusting of the reinforcement, evidenced by rust staining on the concrete faces of the cantilever piles.

A temporary design for one of the worst piles had already been installed, and the client was looking at a more permanent repair for the remaining defective piles.  As well as being cost-effective, the solution needed to extend the life to age as the other parts of the concrete wharf structure.

LDE was engaged in investigating a repair method for the wharf piles nearest the foreshore that were deteriorating with corrosion effects.  This historic structure was assessed from the foreshore and boat to check the condition of all of the concrete piles.

The expansion joint between the wharf and the shore was filled with debris, meaning that additional bending stresses were being induced in the wharf piles, causing them to become overloaded and damaging the three first concrete piles of the structure.  This caused rusting of the reinforcement accelerated by the harsh intertidal zone where the piles were situated.

LDE proposed in-situ reconstruction of the concrete piles, including replacement of the longitudinal and shear reinforcement where necessary, providing a methodology and supervision of the works.