Henderson Hockey Pitch

PROJECT

The Waitakere Regional Hockey Turf Trust engaged Babbage Consultants Ltd to design and supervise the construction of the artificial hockey turf at Henderson High School, together with an artificial practice facility and pavilion.  The hockey turf combined a wet/dry surface for play, and a fully drained dry surface for practice, and when all facilities are completed, it will be one of the premier hockey facilities in New Zealand. The West Auckland pitch is used by the school during school hours and by the local hockey community in the evenings.

The current facility consists of a single hockey pitch developed to full international standards, which can be played wet and dry, together with flood lighting for evening games and practice and a sophisticated water re-usage system combining retreatment to a high quality standard for irrigation.  Future stages will include the construction of the associated practice area and a pavilion to the west of the hockey field.  Concrete paths protected by fences surround the main field for access and spectator use.

The surface is graded to 0.3% (1 to 333) only, an unusually flat gradient for hockey fields, provided to minimize surface water discharge from the pitch and therefore reduce water usage.  The construction of such a flat gradient together with the weak subgrade provided design challenges for the Civil Engineers with the cut and fill required to achieve a stable base for the field.

The crib wall was designed with a closed face to prevent stones from the retaining wall backfill contaminating the playing surface.

Water is drained from the pitch, stored and then treated for reuse on the field to minimize overall water consumption.  During dry periods a connection to the public water main can be utilized to top up the water storage tanks.  Water cannons located on the field perimeter spray water onto the pitch prior to a game when it is to be operated in a wet condition.

Careful design of the flood lighting avoids light spill onto the adjacent urban roads and residential properties.  The floodlight is designed for two levels of lighting, for practice and for competitive games.  This is controlled by a programmable timer, but can also be switched on and off manually. Security lighting to protect the surface from unwanted vandalism is also incorporated.

Disciplines involved in this Leisure & Sport and Learning project were:

• Architecture
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Land Surveyors
• Mechanical Building Services
• Sports Facility Development