Overview
Entrant:
PTL | Structural & Fire
Category:
06. International Project Award
Photographed by:
TECHLAM
Key team members:
Structural Engineer: PTL Structural & Fire
Supplier: TECHLAM
Architect: PRYZM Consulting LLC
Project Managers: MPWIU, Contractor Pacific International Inc.
Resurrecting a Pasifika Community Landmark
The ECC Sports Stadium in Majuro is a significant Pasifika community landmark, serving as a central venue for sport, cultural gatherings, and national events in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Originally constructed using timber roof arches, the stadium was forced to close in 2011 after severe termite infestation caused catastrophic structural failure and roof collapse. The redevelopment of the stadium presented an exceptional engineering challenge: to reinstate a 45 metre clear span structure in one of the world’s most aggressive tropical environments, while addressing the causes of the original failure and overcoming the logistical constraints of a remote North Pacific atoll.
New Zealand engineering practice and timber technology were central to the success of the project. Working closely with TECHLAM, PTL Structural & Fire designed a replacement mass timber roof system that repaired and reused the existing structural framework while delivering a stronger and durable, future proof solution. The project required the arches to achieve long span performance, high structural redundancy, and exceptional biological resistance in conditions of sustained high humidity, salt laden air, and extreme termite risk, conditions that eliminate many conventional material options.
The primary structural elements comprise curved glulam arches manufactured from New Zealand Radiata Pine and treated to H5 CCA standards. This treatment level, developed and refined in New Zealand, was critical to mitigating termite attack and ensuring long term durability in the Marshall Islands’ tropical climate. The selection of timber over steel avoided the ongoing corrosion and maintenance challenges associated with metallic structures in coastal atoll environments, while significantly reducing embodied carbon compared with alternative long span solutions.
To address transport and construction constraints, PTL Structural & Fire engineered the new designed 765 mm deep glulam arches with three discreet moment splices. This allowed each arch to be modularised into container sized sections for prefabrication and preassembly by TECHLAM in New Zealand and shipping across the Pacific. The modular design also simplified erection on site in Majuro, where heavy lifting equipment and specialist construction resources were limited. Once assembled, the spliced arches perform structurally as continuous members, delivering the required stiffness and strength for the 45 metre clear span roof.
The project exemplifies how New Zealand timber expertise can deliver resilient infrastructure in challenging international contexts. It demonstrates the ability of New Zealand designers and suppliers to combine advanced mass timber engineering, durability science, and constructability led design to solve complex problems far beyond domestic conditions.
Completed in time to host the 2024 Micronesian Games, the refurbished ECC Sports Stadium once again serves as a focal point for community life in Majuro, this time under a roof designed for longevity, resilience, and environmental responsibility.