Michael Tagg, survey manager at Envivo, has won the 2013 New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) Award of Excellence (Gold Level) for his work on the refurbishment of The Edge, ASB Theatre. The award was presented at a gala dinner on 31 August 2013 in Dunedin.

The refurbishment was carried out in tight timeframes, and between shows, over three years, with the interior posing a few challenges:

• The theatre’s 1330 theatre seats had to be orientated in a perfect arc towards the stage
• Suspended ceilings and acoustic reflectors had to be perfectly aligned 
• Removable orchestra pit panels, a jigsaw of 44 panels, needed to be designed so as to add flexibility to the configuration of the theatre layout

Michael Tagg said “This was a complex but thoroughly interesting project, it was crucial that each design aspect was placed correctly. The seats, for example, had to be in exactly the right place and there are hundreds of them. They needed to line-up with each other, the air conditioning vents and the design incorporated arcs and a sloping floor which added to the difficulty. We took 3D measurements and precise set-outs to ensure they were configured exactly as the contractor required.”

Dr Bill Robertson led the judging panel for the annual awards. Dr Robertson is a former director-general of the Department of Survey and Land Information, and surveyor-general of New Zealand.

The judges said, “The Edge ASB Theatre Refurbishment Project represents surveying excellence in delivering surveying services to architects, contractors and sub-contractors for design and as-built of the refurbishment of an existing large and complex structure.”