New Site Should Boost Scientific Synergies

GNS is now based in Avalon and CEO Alex Malahoff sees the move as the start of a new era for earth sciences.

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IT MAY be New Zealand’s smallest Crown Research Institute, but GNS Science packs a lot of brain power into its new premises in Lower Hutt.

There are more than 80 people with PhDs working at the organisation’s new headquarters, at 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon.

GNS Science, formerly known as the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, has converted the former National Film Unit studios into a complex that houses New Zealand’s largest group of earth science specialists.

The new headquarters officially opens today with GNS Science saying the move to the new building coincides with advances across numerous areas of its operations.

Researchers at GNS Science work in a wide range of fields, including oil and gas exploration, geothermal energy, protecting water supplies, identifying and managing mineral resources, monitoring earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, radiocarbon dating, X-ray scanning and nanotechnology.

Until recently, the organisation’s staff were housed in five buildings at Gracefield, at the foot of Wainuiomata Hill. Being physically separated by up to 800 metres meant staff from some disciplines seldom saw each other. This inhibited the flow of information among the researchers, but with everyone now under the same roof, exciting synergies are expected.

As well as being a better working environment for the 180 GNS Science staff, having nearly everyone in one spot will mean cost savings and better use of time.

GNS Science chief executive Alex Malahoff says key benefits are improved morale, greater cohesion and more opportunity for staff to talk to each other.

“One of my main objectives when I took the job as CEO was to get ourselves a permanent home.

“Our move to Avalon is thrilling and it’s the achievement of a lifetime. I was driven to it way back in the 1960s when I had an office in the geophysics division (of the now defunct Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) on The Terrace.

“At the time, I was building amplifiers and filters for a field seismological experiment and I had to drive out to the labs at Gracefield just to solder equipment, because we weren’t allowed to have labs in The Terrace premises as there was no room. I thought, good heavens, one of these days we’ll all be together, he says.

“Now, finally, we have all the branches of earth sciences together in one building. I see it as the start of a new era.”

The site has a 160-seat theatre, which is a useful hi-tech auditorium for science seminars, conferences, and meetings. A company-wide seminar was held in the theatre, which would have been nearly impossible to do at the Gracefield site, Dr Malahoff says.

“We can bring students from Victoria to work with our staff and to address them through seminars, which are very important for spreading information,” he says.

GNS Science has many partnerships with commercial organisations such as oil exploration companies, and he says it was embarrassing to invite them to the buildings at Gracefield as some of them were essentially old barracks, he says.

“Now we have a professional site and we’ve got secure rooms in which we can discuss confidential scientific data. It was almost impossible to do that at Gracefield.”

The new site has been a great morale booster, he says. Part of the reason is the building’s location close to Hutt River. It has an adjacent golf course, and a swimming pool in the courtyard.

The building was designed and built in the 1970s by the former Ministry of Works. Till last year it operated as the National Film Unit studios.

The refurbishment was done on budget and on time. Contractor Fletcher Construction says it was equivalent to refurbishing a 20- storey building. Up to 300 contractors were on site during some stages of the job.

The move from Gracefield to Avalon took place in early January. The site is now home to the Wellington operations of GNS Science’s natural resources and natural hazards groups, plus support and corporate staff. GNS Science’s National Isotope Centre will remain in its purpose-built facility at Gracefield.

The hazards group is one of the high-profile parts of GNS Science, as it handles information about earthquakes and volcanic activity. It operates a network of monitoring equipment to capture earthquakes and other surface movements.

The Avalon building is also ideally sited for close observations of earthquake effects, being just a few hundred metres from the Wellington Fault that runs parallel to Hutt River. The good news, for GNS Science staff and people wanting to know what has happened if the fault ruptures, is that the Avalon complex has its own electricity generators for emergency use, and even composting toilets should things get really tough.

The building is 12,000 square metres, and also stocks scientific collections and equipment. It has workshops and labs, with space for visiting people.

For more information about GNS Science, what it does and the latest information on volcanoes and earthquakes, go to:

www.gns.cri.nz

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