Stand and deliver The Crossing development

Building a business park that incorporates a variety of different architectural styles is not just about the big picture it's also about attention to detail. For Dominion Constructors, the main contractor on The Crossing project at Highbrook Business Park, working with tight tolerances was the most challenging aspect of the project.

Project manager Graeme Harvey says each of the three buildings in the first stage of the project is very different, and each has its own unique facade. "For Building 2 with the hexagonal precast concrete elements, every concrete panel needed to be perfectly aligned with the window modules. The facade was installed in an anticlockwise direction, and if the panels were even just a few millimetres out of alignment, it would have shown in the finished product."

Harvey says the curved, glass-wrapped Icon building also had tight tolerances. "The curve created the challenge, with the team needing to ensure the deflection in the steel frame was accommodated so it did not affect the vertical alignment of the windows."

Low tolerances were another key consideration with the installation of the ETFE canopies on the structural steel supports. "There is no stretch in the fixed canopies, so we worked closely with the manufacturer Structurflex to ensure the steel was perfectly aligned."

Other labour-intensive work included the construction of the hard landscaping, in particular the off-form concrete planters, which have a distinctive, bandsawn finish.

DOMINION CONSTRUCTORS

PO Box 17254, Greenlane, Auckland 1546Phone (09) 526 5808 Fax (09) 526 5809www.constructors.co.nz enquiries@constructors.co.nz

Story by: Trendsideas