The centrepiece of the University of Waikato’s new Tauranga campus is a multi-award winning building with a highly technical façade elegantly designed for both function and aesthetics.

The successful delivery of this project required close collaboration on design and technical execution, with the façade design conceptualised by Jasmax and the technical solution, aluminium manufacturing and façade installation delivered by Wight Aluminium.

The facade features several banks of sun control fins in unique trapezoid and quadrilateral shapes. As well as fabricating the aluminium fins, Wight Aluminium designed the installation system with fins mounted on brackets that penetrated two-piece transoms, with stiffeners attached to mullions for further support. The fins were fabricated offsite in segments, then individually aligned on the façade and carefully mounted to ensure a seamless, continuous fin look.

Adding to the complexity were raking, zigzagging mullions which were required to align with the array of shaped fins featured on the eastern side of the building where the main entrance is located.

Wight Aluminium used a range of APL products in the building façade, including both Structural Glazed and Flushglaze systems, the 40mm Window Suite, APL Architectural Series, Magnum hinged and autodoors and frameless glass. The exterior fins were powder coated in Dulux Electro Black Ace and the windows and doors in Duratec Metropolis Coal Dust Kinetic. The glazing was all in IGUs with clear on the south side and thermal or solar control arrangements on the east, west and north.