Plateau Hut
Engineering Against the Elements
A safe and ideally snug hut needs to be built in the Southern Alps − one of New Zealand's most hostile environments. Site access is difficult, and construction must be completed before winter. The hut must withstand all imaginable weathers and stay standing for at least 70 years. Who better to take up the challenge than Derek Chinn, advanced alpine climber and structural engineer?
When asked to design a replacement hut for Aoraki Mt Cook, Derek Chinn MIPENZ knew it would be a challenging feat of engineering. Typically, he faced the project as he would a great adventure.
A year ago Mr Chinn climbed to the summit of Mt Everest (see e.nz magazine September/October 2004). He is not a professional climber, but one of the few Kiwis to have climbed the 8,848-metre mountain while holding down a day job.
When Prime Minister Helen Clark officially opened Plateau Hut on 12 May 2005 she acknowledged Mr Chinn as an Everest summiteer and as an accomplished designer and structural engineer, describing the new hut as a "great technical achievement". This jewel in the crown of New Zealand's alpine hut network is attracting international acclaim for its innovative design.
"Plateau Hut is the single most important alpine hut in New Zealand because it is such a popular base for ascents to the summit with climbers following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary," says Mr Chinn. He has climbed to the top of Aoraki Mt Cook nine times via various routes, and stayed in the old hut 20 times. So he had mixed feelings about replacing it: "It had real character, and any climber that stayed there would have a real connection to the building – especially after reading the hut book and seeing who made it to the top and who never came back."
This case study is reproduced with permission from e.nz magazine. Subscriptions to e.nz are discounted for schools and TENZ members.
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