Developing a vibrant workplace

The project involved remodelling the previous office block into a new staff café and construction of a brand-new state-of-the-art 3585m² administration block and testing laboratory which complemented the renewed café. The design brief was to create a vibrant workplace that encouraged a sense of wellbeing and connectivity among the staff. Once the open plan colourful interior had been designed, careful consideration was taken in selecting the exterior materials to bring it to life. The popular combination of steel cladding, precast concrete and cedar timber was chosen.

Seamless tray cladding

Eurotray Angle Seam in the colour Slate by Dimond Roofing was chosen as the predominant cladding option. The colour Slate has a deep, earthy tone that contrasts beautifully against the thousands of metres of roof and wall cladding on the main production and storage facilities. 1460 metres of Eurotray and 2800 metres of custom folded flashings were used in creating the seamless tray cladding. The details involved in achieving the look are very intricate; behind every tray, there is a series of flashings and hooks which the tray is then folded onto, locking it into place without any visible screws or rivets. Every rib, corner and angle is carefully considered so that all of the trays line up perfectly and are spaced evenly from one corner to the next.

Eurotray Angle Seam for commercial projects

Another example is a recently completed Christchurch multi-storey central building, housing Fat Eddies bar, which has used distinctive vertical cladding in multi-width Eurotray Angle Seam, in Lignite colour. Originally the cladding was to be untreated, unsealed copper, but this was prevented due to cost, and the potential environmental impacts of copper in the Christchurch rebuild. This lead to the Dimond innovative cladding solution being applied, providing an exceptional finish. Read more about this project here

Metal Cladding

Overall, metal cladding offers a low-risk solution, with several advantages over other material types, including:

• Prefinished colour coatings meeting spread of flame on all internal surfaces in Group 1-S.
• Lightweight materials that are easy to lift into place — a simpler option compared to other cladding alternatives.
• Easy and quick to install, offering a finish with crisp clean lines, in a shorter amount of time; great for commercial developments under time pressure.
• Available in a range of colours and coatings, offering durability to suit the building environment.
• Supplied cut-to-length with a lower risk of leakage, no end laps and a reduction in construction waste.
• Achieves a unique aesthetic to the exterior of the building using different profile shapes and the option of Horizontal or Vertical orientation.
• The maintenance requirements are minimal and are designed to increase the durability of the product, particularly in areas that are not naturally washed by rain.