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Design Feature Spotlight - Façade

  • Mar 9
  • 2 min read

In collaboration with subcontractor Thermosash and project architects (Athfield Architects Limited), MCLStead are excited to share a further Te Kete design feature spotlight:


Façade for the Office Tower

Thermosash Commercial, a New Zealand owned and operated full-service façade solutions company are detailing, manufacturing and installing the bespoke unitised façade system that will be used on the redevelopment of the existing office tower.


This will comprise:

  • 280 individual unitised façade panels that will close in the building.

  • 60 individual unitised façade panels to the ground floor tenancies.


The form and arrangement of solid and glazed panels are combined with a printed ceramic frit pattern. The solid, patterned, and transparent façade panels step diagonally across the office tower, within the existing external vertical columns.


The image below is from Thermosash’s manufacturing model.



The images below are from the project architect: Athfield Architects.


How is the façade manufactured

Once designing and engineering have been completed by the Thermosash in-house team of designers, structural & façade engineers, detailed 3D models are developed for each of the unitised façade panels.


Then CAD/CAM operators and CNC machinists use these models to machine the aluminium extrusions accurately and precisely, in preparation for assembly.


Note. A CNC machine is a computer-controlled tool that automates cutting, shaping and fabrication with high precision and repeatability.


Each panel is assembled as a complete unit, typically one floor high and widths up to 2m.

Thermosash maintains strict quality control processes during manufacturing and before the completed panels are staked onto crates. The crates are wrapped for protection, loaded onto their trucks and transported to site for installing.






When the façade will start to arrive on site

The façade panels will start to arrive on site mid-late April 2026.


Key metrics of the office tower façade

The panels are made up of:

  • almost 25km of aluminium extrusion

  • up to 25,000 individual components

  • 500 individual pieces of glass


What's Next?

Look out for the next spotlight on the office tower façade once installation commences on site.


 
 
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