Chaytor Street Apartments

Designed by Poneke Architects, this bespoke apartment building, integrated into the hillside, dominates the main entrance to Karori, Wellington. Fire engineering was crucial in enabling the construction of a single stair system for over 10m of escape height. Through fire engineering analysis, BelshamFire Ltd demonstrated safe evacuation using the innovative Poneke stair and deck access design. The introduction of a cost effective stairwell ventilation eliminated the need for an additional stair or an expensive sprinkler system. The design now provides affordable accomodation close to Wellington City CBD.