Outdoor Recreation Facilities in Natural Environments

Government and semi-government authorities in Australasia who own or control outdoor recreation facilities in natural environments are showing increasing interest in outdoor structures. Typical are national park authorities who have a range of facilities ranging from viewing platforms regularly subject to crowd loadings to rope crossings for streams on remote bushwalking tracks frequented by only the most hardy and experienced bushwalkers. The increased concern stems in part from the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the collapse of a viewing platform at Cave Creek in New Zealand in April 1995. The platform collapsed and fell about 30 metres killing 14 young people and injuring others. The challenge is to provide the appropriate facilities for various user groups and manage these assets in a responsible way. The paper describes the particular conditions pertaining to outdoor structures and their use. It examines why these structures are not adequately covered by existing building type codes and what work has been done in New Zealand and Australia accordingly.