End of year milestones

The TRACKLOK® team have had an amazing 2018 and we want to sincerely thank you all very much for making this journey possible.

A couple of key milestones:

• After two years of preparation we completed our testing and look forward to the advancement of our US certification in 2019.

• The honour of being involved in some of New Zealand’s key projects, including Acute Services Building in Christchurch, Commercial Bay and Scentre Group in Auckland.

• The first Australian TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® projects.

• A humbling response to TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® in Australia, USA, Canada, Japan and beyond.

We’ve really enjoyed working with incredible architects, brilliant engineers, talented installers and hardworking distributors from around the world.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families – it really has been our pleasure! Really looking forward to working with you all in 2019.

Update

The end of 2018 is closing in fast and the team at TRACKLOK® are astounded at how quickly this year has zipped past! The year has been busy for all in our industry and the sheer volume of construction work means that many install teams will be working through the Christmas break!

The TRACKLOK® team are working with our dedicated distributors to ensure TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® products are available when needed.

Talk to your preferred distributor regarding your project requirements over the Christmas break to ensure you have the products you need.
 
TRACKLOK® offices will be closed from 21st December 2018 through to 9th January 2019.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your project requirements for the Christmas and New Year break, please contact the team at TRACKLOK®.

Plan mark up

The team at TRACKLOK® have been speaking with engineers, designers and installers about creating efficiencies in bracing of non-structural walls and ceilings. It is clear there is a need for consistency. From design to consent to installation and inspection.

In a response to this, TRACKLOK® offer a FREE plan mark-up service for wall bracing.

Simply email your reflected ceiling plan (RCP) to us showing the part height partition walls, wall build up and location of the project. Our dedicated team will mark the TRACKLOK® positions on the plan. This marked plan along with our Bracing Guide can be lodged with the consent for the project, filed with the successful installation company and retained for use by project managers and building inspectors to ensure consistency. This is another small way in which we can make a big difference on site!

Contact the team at TRACKLOK® today or simply email your wall plans and designs here.

Build efficiency and cost reduction

The team at TRACKLOK® have been speaking with architects and engineers around the world about the efficiency and build benefits TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® bring to construction.
 
Utilizing TRACKLOK® for partition walls, allows designers to confidently bring non-fire and acoustic rated full height walls under ceiling to achieve substantial cost and labour savings. The ability for TRACKLOK® to provide pre-engineered compliance to building codes means part height partition walls are a real option to replace some full height walls.
 
Another feature of TRACKLOK®, is the rubber dampener. This prevents the head track from twisting under seismic loads and interstory drift, avoiding plasterboard separation and achieving compliance.
 
Additionally, GRIDLOK® rigid bracing for ceiling systems has seen a reduction in labour hours and in the number of braces required, due to the consistent capacity of GRIDLOK®.
 
We continue to work with industry professionals to find new ways to achieve build efficiency and cost reduction while achieving maximum code compliance.
 
Contact us to talk about your next project and please visit our website to find all the details you require for your designs.

Reduce costs, build it better

The team at TRACKLOK® continue to work hard with our New Zealand distributors and customers, helping them to build it better with the full range of TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® solutions.

With the recent failures of construction companies and the pressure costs are having on businesses in the construction sector, we see TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® as great solutions that reduce consultancy fees incurred on projects. The ability to include these pre-engineered solutions, simply reduces costs.

As we continue to move into Australia and The United States of America, we are seeing designers and installers looking beyond TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® as seismic solutions and towards the build efficiencies these products provide.

Reduction in labour hours on site and the efficiency of install, combined with inherent compliance, makes TRACKLOK® for walls and GRIDLOK® for ceilings the path to working smarter, not harder.

For your next commercial project talk to TRACKLOK® or our hard working distributors for guidance on securing non-structural walls and ceilings. To see us in person, visit the TRACKLOK® team at these upcoming conferences:

• SEAOC Convention, JW Marriott Desert Resort, Palm Desert, CA, Sept 11th – 15th, 2018

• AEC, Sydney International Convention Centre, Sydney, AUS, Sept 17th – 19th, 2018

• ASEC, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, AUS, Sept 25th – 28th, 2018

GRIDLOK® the market preference

The team at TRACKLOK® have seen a strong preference of ceiling designers and installers for the GRIDLOK® rigid bracing system for ceiling systems. Traditional methods of back bracing are beginning to be viewed as inconsistent and time consuming, while providing less than ideal outcomes due to the ambiguity around cutting strength out of steel stud to form connection flanges and transitions.

Download the latest New Zealand (edition 3) Bracing Guide and the Australian Bracing Guide for latest guidance.

GRIDLOK® has proven capacity and a consistency in performance that appeals to designers, installers and inspectors. Feedback from the market shows the huge commercial benefits to installers of massively reduced labour content, increased flexibility of positioning and the ability to rotate the bracing footprint in order to avoid services. Also, with the increased and consistent capacity, there is always an opportunity to reduce the number of braces required when compared to less effective methods.

We will continue to work with ceiling manufacturers, our distributors and ceiling contractors to ensure projects benefit from the real advantages of bracing with GRIDLOK®.

If you have questions about GRIDLOK® or would like to learn more, please let us know.

Also, if you have a TRACKLOK® project requiring our FREE mark up service, email through your RCP and wall build ups, we are only too happy to assist. Please bear in mind that due to increased volume of work, our team will need advanced warning of your requirements.

Liability for quake losses a big concern for LA property owners

Rescue workers uncover cars, some with people trapped inside, along Park Street in Paso Robles after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the city on Dec. 22, 2003. (Los Angeles Times)

The question of whether property owners can be held liable for earthquake losses bears heavily on Los Angeles, where officials are considering an ambitious plan to publicly identify and require retrofits of potentially dangerous buildings. Some property owners fear that assessing the seismic risks of their buildings will create legal liability in the event of a destructive quake.

For the full article click the link below.

AS/NZS2785:2018 Suspended Ceiling Design and Installation – Draft Out

The team at TRACKLOK® welcomed the draft of AS/NZS2785:2018 this month, it is a real reflection of learnings in the non-structural built environment. The draft suspended ceilings standard shows how real-world advancements in design and construction become part of the building code. Once issued as an official standard, AS/NZS2785:2018 will ensure New Zealand and Australia continue to develop resilience in our building stock.

First though, it is your opportunity to have your say, click here to read the draft, then formulate and submit your comments.

When using steel stud to brace ceiling systems, often the legs (side walls) of the stud are removed. This leaves only the web of the steel stud as the attachment point to the ceiling system.

We believe there is a fundamental flaw in this approach, which is why we developed GRIDLOK®. The structural integrity of the steel stud is removed when it's geometric shape is altered/removed – perhaps more of a focus for AS/NZS4600, but still a real concern.

Also, remember our TRACKLOK® plans team are available to mark-up TRACKLOK® positions on your plans. It is a FREE service!

The Big One could leave 250,000-400,000 quake refugees in California. Where will they go?

People walk toward the Ferry Building on Market Street after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (Library of Congress)

When a catastrophic earthquake hits California, buildings will topple and potentially hundreds could be killed. But what gets less attention is the wrenching aftermath of such a huge temblor, which could leave whole neighborhoods torched by fires uninhabitable and hundreds of thousands of people without a home. Officials are grappling with where all these quake refugees would go.

For the full article click the link below.

Health Sector activity

It is important to celebrate success and the team at TRACKLOK® have proudly been involved in many fantastic projects.

In late 2014, buoyed from the success of Burwood Hospital, TRACKLOK® Ltd approached the architects and health planners for the Acute Services Building at Christchurch Hospital - Katoa Health Design - to talk about bracing solutions for the project.

The TRACKLOK® solution was proposed by CPB Contractors and Jacobs Engineering as part of an alternative steel framed partition and bracing system. TRACKLOK® was established as the basis for the specific design required in this Importance Level 4 (IL4) project and allowed the project team to manage an out of plane deflection requirement of 50mm.

This successful approach to IL4 projects has been replicated for the Out Patients Building adjacent to Christchurch Hospital, Hawkes Bay Hospital, Grey Base Hospital and many others. 

Contact TRACKLOK® to talk through bracing requirements for your next project and remember we have a great deal of experience with IL4 requirements.

Here’s what to expect when the Big One hits the Hayward Fault

San Francisco in 1906. Most the damage from a Hayward Quake will affect Oakland, but fires and shaking will topple blocks in SF and Silicon Valley as well. Courtesy UC Berkeley.

The US Geological Survey [USGS] took advantage of the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake this week to update its working scenario on what may happen when the Big One hits the Bay Area again, focused not on the San Andreas fault but on its potentially more hazardous Hayward Fault neighbor to the east.

For the full article click the link below.

Activity update

The team at TRACKLOK® have been busy in the world of non-structural elements, as it is the focus in many countries. This focus was evident on our recent US trip to California, the AWCI 100th Conference, the INTEX show in Florida and the NZSEE Conference in Auckland.

We have been active in New Zealand and Australia delivering our patented, pre-engineered, proprietary solutions for internal walls and ceilings.

While in the United States we are working our products through the ICC process to gain US market certification – nothing proves a point like shake table testing!

It’s been great to hear that the TRACKLOK® markup service has been a useful tool for designers, engineers and contractors. We encourage you to use this service to help provide clarity throughout the construction process.

In addition to the New Zealand Edition and Australian Edition Bracing Guides we have produced Installation Guides for each country, which we hope you will find useful. Ask your local distributor for a hard copy.

Also, if you have the need for a ceiling design or would like engineering support for your project we are happy to assist you – simply email us here.

Wellington office building evacuated after engineers declare it unsafe

An office building at 79 Boulcott St in central Wellington has been vacated.

Workers in a central Wellington office building were told to leave after it was deemed unsafe to occupy.

Jacqui Hastie, from Wellington City Council's building resilience team, could not confirm the exact reason why the building at 79 Boulcott St was being cleared out, but said engineers had expressed concerns.

"The building owner's engineers have been looking at the building and until they have some more information they're not confident saying that it's safe to occupy right now."

For the full article click the link below.

Installation Guide

At TRACKLOK® we are always looking for ways to ensure installing TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® is as easy as possible. We have designed these products with the installer at the top of mind, as we all know the fit-out industry is a time sensitive market. It is essential that installation is quick and efficient.

In order to help with this, we have put together the TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® Installation Guide 2018 to help. Please download this image rich document from our website by clicking here.

TRACKLOK® are here to help, remember to send your plans to our plan markup team to assist with TRACKLOK® placements and contact our sales and technical support about your next project.

TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK®

The team at TRACKLOK® have been watching the movements in the market with interest. The recent acquisition of USG Boral steel and grid products by Rondo is a game changer. We believe the market is in a rationalization and consolidation mode and this will benefit specifiers and installers with more choice.

In other news, the TRACKLOK® Bracing Guide (second edition) has been well received by all, with great feedback. Get a copy from your local re-seller or email us directly and we will send you a copy immediately.

Remember you can download a copy here New Zealand Edition and here for the Australian Edition.

We want to thank the AWCI for the Golf days in Hauraki and Christchurch – Team TRACKLOK® took out third place in Christchurch and our team member Jordan from BVT won a Fitbit for the longest drive! Click here for photos on the LinkedIn page.

TRACKLOK® are here to help, remember to send your plans to our plan markup team to assist with TRACKLOK® placements and contact our sales and technical support about your next project.

Thursday 22 February 2018 – Earthquake Commemorations

The seventh anniversary of the 22 February Canterbury Earthquake will be marked with a public Civic Service at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial site. The service will begin at 12:30pm at the Memorial site on the corner of Montreal Street and Cambridge Terrace. The service is expected to take around 45 minutes, followed by the opportunity to lay floral tributes at the Memorial Wall across the river. It will be livestreamed on the Christchurch City Council website for those who can't be there.

To read the full article, click on the link below.

Bracing Guide NEW edition

The start of 2018 has been busy at TRACKLOK® as the construction industries in New Zealand and Australia continue to power ahead.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the second edition of the TRACKLOK® Seismic Bracing Guide for Walls and Ceilings for New Zealand and Australia! We have taken feedback from the market, worked with our engineers and are pleased to provide more guidance in these second edition Seismic Bracing Guides.

Please click here for the New Zealand Edition and here for the Australian Edition. Both editions include robust engineering data on TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK®.

For those wanting a hard copy please email and we will send you copies as soon as they come off the press. Alternatively contact one of our proactive distributors for a copy.

TRACKLOK® are here to help, remember to send your plans to our plan markup team to assist with TRACKLOK® placements and contact our sales and technical support about your next project.

Here's what a decade of NZ quakes looks like in 20 seconds

There's a reason it's called the Shaky Isles. In the past decade, tens of thousands of earthquakes have been measured across New Zealand. 

The above map shows every seismic event measured since 2008, totalling around 20,000. Check out the full article at the link below.

Build it Better

Commercial Bay, Auckland. Due for completion 2019.

Happy New Year from the folks at TRACKLOK® - we truly wish you all success for 2018 both in business and in life. For those of you back at work – welcome back. For those of you still on holiday or about to embark on a delayed break – have a great time!

This year we see the start of a number of landmark projects. From Commercial Bay and the Convention Centre in Auckland City to the Convention Centre in Christchurch and the International Airport in Wellington. TRACKLOK® will be working with architects, engineers and installers on these and many other projects throughout New Zealand. Alongside our hard-working distributors, we will ensure TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® secures partition walls and ceiling grids efficiently.

We have also seen the uptake of TRACKLOK® and GRIDLOK® in commercial residential, with many apartment projects utilising these products to save substantial costs to project.

The team at TRACKLOK® are ready to help. We have our plan mark up team ready to assist with TRACKLOK® placements and our sales and technical support on call.

Let’s work together and “build it better” in 2018!

Thousands report light earthquake in Wellington

More than 4000 people have reported feeling a magnitude 3.8 earthquake near Wellington. Photo / Geonet NZ Herald

A small earthquake has been felt by more than 4000 people in and around Wellington this evening.

Geonet reported a 3.8 magnitude earthquake 10km south-west of Wellington at 7.17pm. While light, the earthquake was shallow with the depth recorded at 40km.

Geonet had already received more than 4000 reports of the earthquake from people who felt it with the vast majority reporting it as a "light" or "weak" earthquake.

There were a number of reports from near Levin and Blenheim but most were centred around Wellington and Upper Hutt with four people in the area describing it as "extreme".

For the full article click the link below.