Westfield Newmarket Facade (2022 DA)

APPLICATION OF PROJECT

Retail multi-story facade

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Scentre Group’s Westfield Newmarket in Auckland, New Zealand has undergone a NZ$790 million redevelopment, transforming the centre into a retail, dining and entertainment precinct that is the largest in the area.

Fabritecture was contracted for the design and construction of two custom architectural facades for the multi-storey car park along Gillies Avenue/Mortimer Pass, and Gillies Avenue/Morrow Street. The project involved 105 tonnes of steel supporting the façade elements comprising 9,320 diamond shaped aluminium panels. Fabritecture developed the prototype design for the diamonds, which typically sit about 12 diamonds per panel. There are 829 individual panels for the whole façade.

DESIGN / FABRICATION / INSTALLATION BRIEF

ARMADA designed the custom façade for the Westfield Newmarket façade project, and it was Fabritecture’s task to bring that design to fruition. The design comprises various size diamond shaped aluminum panels on a lightweight structural steel frame with minimum 54% open area. A living “green” wall is integrated into the façade.

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

The project involved 105 tonnes of steel supporting the façade elements comprising 9,320 diamond shaped aluminum panels. Fabritecture developed the prototype design for the diamonds, which typically sit about 12 diamonds per panel. There are 829 individual panels for the whole façade.

The façade needed to accommodate seismic activity, which is common in the area, as well the differential loading amongst the car park floors. Therefore, the connection detail for the façade support structure was designed to allow for movement.

MATERIALS

Custom aluminum diamond shaped panels installed on SHS framing.

FABRICATION

There were 5 different sizes of diamond aluminum panels used in the facade. The clusters of diamonds were designed to be modular in nature to reduce fabrication/assembly and installation costs.

COLLABORATION, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE

There were significant loading restrictions due to one-way comflor slab design, and no scaffold was allowed on the outside of the building. Panels were installed from inside the car park structure and EWPs from the road. Two sides of the car park structure are on a steep slope with live traffic which added to the complexity of the installation.

COSTS

The Westfield Newmarket project is valued at approximately AUD$4.02m.

COLOUR IMAGES

PROJECT CREDITS

Project Name:         Westfield Newmarket
Location:      277 Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland  NZ  1023

GPS Location:         -36.87012720174841, 174.7749894477351
Completion Date:    9-May-20
Category (1-8):       5 – Glazing & vertical facades

Entrant Name:        Fabritecture
Address (Street):    Unit 14/15 John Duncan Court, Varsity Lakes, QLD  4227

Telephone Landline: +61 7 5587 7000
Mobile:         +61 408 402 716
Email Address:        This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website Address:    www.fabritecture.com
Entrant Type / Role: Designer / Installer
Project Client:         Scentre Group
Project Architect:    Armada Architects
Structural Engineer: Wade Design Engineers
Building Contractor: Scentre Group