He Tohu Pūpū Seismic Design Competition

Since most of us enjoyed watching the He Tohu Pūpū Seismic Design Competition at the 2023 NZSEE Conference, we are back!

We are pleased to announce that the 3rd version of the He Tohu Pūpū Seismic Design Competition will be held at the 2024 NZSEE Conference in Wellington. 

Within the competition, teams of undergraduates, postgraduates, and early-career practitioners design and build a small-scale earthquake-resistant building that is tested on a shake table during the conference. 

Requirements for participants include:

(1) creating or joining a team - we can find you a team if you don't have one! -, 

(2) designing and building a scale building model, and 

(3) testing your model at the conference. 

Teams are limited to 4 participants and multiple teams from individual firms and universities are encouraged.

Teams will have an opportunity on Wednesday 10 April 2024 at the breakfast session to present for 3-5 minutes on their model. This is a chance to pitch the architectural and innovative aspects of your design which could win you more points.

The prize for the first placed team is $2000 to be shared amongst team members, plus one year of complimentary membership to NZSEE for each team member.

You can view the 2024 competition rules HERE.

If you would potentially be interested in participating in the competition or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Catalina.

Looking forward to hearing from you, 

He Tohu Pūpū Seismic Design Competition Committee

Natalie Morrison    -   Kieran Haymes   -   Catalina Miranda   -   Sean Rees