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Earthquake and Structural Engineering EQSE

About us

A practice built on value engineering and practical construction.

We are a team of structural engineers who believe the best projects come from close collaboration with clients and the wider design team. We work with architects, geotechnical engineers and councils to deliver buildings that are safe, durable and well-detailed.

Our approach

Practical structural design rooted in New Zealand conditions.

We bring together over 25 years of experience designing for the specific demands of New Zealand — high seismicity, exposed coastal environments and constrained sites. Our team works across residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects, with a strong focus on seismic assessment and strengthening.

Every project starts with the geotechnical context, the architect's intent and the council pathway in mind. We choose the simplest robust structural solution, document it clearly, and stay involved through construction monitoring and PS4 sign-off.

The team

People you'll work with.

Mahinda Ellegala

Mahinda Ellegala

Principal Structural Engineer

Mahinda is a Chartered Professional Engineer(Structural) with over 20 years of industry experience(10 years+ of New Zealand local experience).

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Mahinda is a Chartered Professional Engineer(Structural) with over twenty five years of industry experience(Ten years + of New Zealand local experience).  Most of the time he has worked in Hawkes Bay. Mahinda has contributed to many projects in Hawkes Bay and other parts of North Island in New Zealand. He has done the following types of work during his career as a structural engineer in New Zealand.

  • Structural design of residential, commercial and industrial buildings
  • Retaining wall designs
  • Detailed and initial seismic assessments (DSAs and ISAs)
  • Seismic Strengthening
  • Foundation design for various structures and challenging soil conditions
  • Reinforced Concrete/Structural Steel composite bridge design

Some notable projects Mahinda has contributed in the past are:

  1. The Village Exchange, Porters Hotel Havelock North
  2. Seismic assessment of 'Toitoi' the Hastings Opera House‍
  3. Briscoes and Rebel Sport building, The Park Megacentre, Hastings
  4. Seismic assessment of the Napier Municipal Theatre
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Wider team

Backed by a team of structural engineers and BIM designers.

Beyond the principals, EQSE has a wider team of structural engineers and design technicians working day-to-day across our projects. The team is fluent in modern BIM workflows and the structural analysis tools the work demands — so what we design is what gets built, with no translation lost between model and drawing.

  • BIM & documentation

    Revit and AutoCAD-led, with consistent detailing standards across projects of every scale.

  • Structural analysis

    SAP2000, ETABS, ROBOT and TEDDS — chosen per project to suit the structure rather than habit.

  • Connection design

    Component-based finite element design (CBFEM) for steel connections of any configuration.

  • Coordination

    Direct collaboration with architects, geotechnical engineers, building services and councils throughout the project.

Have a project in mind?

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