Laboratory manager Bruce Hudson and senior laboratory technician Sonya Hudson say the new lab offers significant improvements in space, equipment, and working conditions.
Features include a flexible layout where spaces can easily be reconfigured, ceiling power supply, large double roller doors, and a modular soils lab.
The main part of the new building has three rooms that house noisy, dusty machinery – used for sieving aggregates, testing concrete, and compacting roading materials.
It's a big step-up in size, safety, and spirit for the twelve-strong lab team, say the pair.
“Our footprint has increased from 150 to 540 square metres. The soil lab area is almost four times as large as what we used to have. No more tripping over one another.
“Each of the lab rooms has heat pumps, double-glazed windows, their own internal air supply, and dust extraction systems. We now have a beautiful break room and outdoor area - a vast improvement from the old building’s sink and fridge.”
Fifty to sixty percent of WSP Tauranga lab's work involves field testing for civil engineering and quality control, supporting contractors and consultants on projects across the Bay of Plenty.
“After more than forty years in the old building, this move is huge,” say Bruce and Sonya. “The new lab gives our team the space, safety and flexibility we need, and helps set a new benchmark for WSP labs going forward.”
