Designer Series from NZ Brick Distributors has been used as the primary cladding for the Rose Garden Apartments project in Albany, Auckland. As the first stage of the project is nearing completion, the finished design of the buildings is emerging for the public to see.

The project involves 201 apartments in six separate six storey apartment buildings with a shared two storey basement carpark, and retail and hospitality spaces at ground level, as well as an open podium area and landscaping connecting it to the Albany Lake. The project has been designed by Context Architects and delivered by CMP Construction with NZ Brick Distributors providing advice, testing and training to ensure the large scale project is completed well.

The Rose Garden Apartments project is the largest project in Australasia to be clad in the Designer Series system. Despite being the first large scale use of the product in New Zealand, NZ Brick Distributors has already secured a number of other large projects around New Zealand with the Designer Series system, including projects currently underway in Manukau, Christchurch and Queenstown.

The Designer Series system consists of large format panels that are indirectly clip fixed to the structure behind and a large number of accessory products that are designed to work together to give a quality finish to the project. The panels can be installed horizontally, vertically or a combination of both which gives the designer plenty of flexibility around the design. The panels allow designers to use a single cladding system to provide the look of multiple claddings on a single building, while eliminating junctions between different cladding systems, reducing the number of sub-trades on site and reducing weather delays.

The Designer Series system is designed and manufactured in Japan so it is designed with earthquakes in mind. The system is fully CodeMark certified and has also been fire tested in 2017 by BRANZ and meets the requirement of a Type A cladding for buildings over 7m in height, and a 1-S fire rating for internal uses. The system is suitable as a weathertight cladding system in all wind zones, up to and including Extra High, for buildings within the scope of NZS3604. For larger buildings the system has been tested to maximum wind pressures of +2.6/-3.3 KPa for vertical installation and up to +/- 6.0KPa for horizontal installation.

NZ Brick Distributors carry nine different panels in stock, including four smooth panels, two textured panels, two woodgrain panels and a pre-cast type panel. For cladding orders over 1000m² NZ Brick Distributors are able to source indent finishes from the manufacturers' large product catalogue, so designers are not constrained by options for larger projects. Order quantities of indent products are flexible, provided the total order meets the minimum order requirements. Designers are advised to contact NZBD for projects outside of the scope of NZS3604 to confirm suitability of the product.