The entry matting systems had to cope not only with the harsh weather but also the demands of large visitor numbers.

Queenstown’s Michael Wyatt of Wyatt + Gray Architects took home the NZ Institute of Architects 2016 Southern Architecture Award for this dynamic, geometric design, cast dramatically in a sea of snow. Despite sheltering in a valley, design wind loads were 250km an hour and, the interior is populated by eager skiers seven days a week throughout the ski season. "They arrive between 9 and 10.30 each morning,” says architect Michael Wyatt, “and they want to gear up and get going. The café upstairs is just as busy as the slopes."

Visitors approach via an unsealed carpark, tramping frozen and semi-thawed mud as they go. Entry points both internally and externally address those heavy ski boots, reducing the amount of mud and sludge that is trafficked around and into the facility.

Advance Flooring’s ExtraTread entrance matting is used at the secondary entry doors — a combination of high moisture-absorbent Polyamide inserts and corrugated aluminium rails to trap dirt.

As the public face of a world-renowned tourism destination, the ski hire area and hospitality offerings are in near-constant use throughout the day.

Quietly doing its job beneath the feet of thousands of visitors per year, ExtraTread is a robust solution for a challenging Queenstown environment that also keeps design to the fore.