Lasting memories

To provide enduring surface finishes for the Auckland Museum's Grand Atrium, a variety of Resene paints was specified, including water-repellent Resene Aquapel

View of Auckland's Muesum's Grand Atrium, with many auditorium, conference hall, musical instrument accessory, performing arts center, brown — View of Auckland's Muesum's Grand Atrium, with many seatings, over head lighting, a range of of resene paints, with tiled gloss flooring, stage with a piano

View of the entrance to the Auckland Museum's architecture, building, ceiling, daylighting, facade, interior design, lobby, shopping mall, wood, brown

View of inside Auckland's Museum's Grand Atrium, with architecture, ceiling, convention center, daylighting, infrastructure, leisure centre, light, line, sky, structure, brown

Museums, like many other public buildings, are subject to a fair amount of wear and tear and the greater the visitor numbers, the greater the wear.

To help minimise maintenance costs for the new Grand Atrium building in the landmark Auckland War Memorial Museum, a number of highly durable materials and finishes were specified. These include Resene Lumbersider satin acrylic, Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel, Resene Lusta-glo semi-gloss enamel, and Resene Aquapel water-repellent paint, which covers the bare concrete surfaces on the interior.

Resene marketing manager Karen Warman says the careful paint and colour selection also ensured a natural transition between the original 1929 heritage architecture and the highly distinctive contemporary renovation.

Colours chosen to complement the architecture and material palette include the neutral hues of Resene Blanc and Resene Half Blanc, Resene Half Tea, and a custom colour aptly named Museum Beige.

Warman says Resene Aquapel is a clear water-repellent treatment formulated to help control efflorescence, and to provide a long-term, water-beading effect to deter water penetration.

"This product is an ideal clear finish for concrete, as it maintains its natural appearance while still providing protection against the elements."