One of New Zealand’s biggest office redevelopment projects for some years — Ngāmotu House, in New Plymouth — featured APL commercial window suites used in a total replacement of previous glazing.

The iwi-led development by Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa saw the six-storey, 1960’s building previously known as Atkinson House transformed by seismic strengthening, mechanical upgrades, replacement of aluminium joinery, new interior fitouts and a striking new façade that weaves together cultural references and eye-catching, metallic textures.

The ambitious revamp is seen as bringing Te Atiawa back into its landscape and re-indigenising its corner of the New Plymouth CBD, part of a strategy to balance the Taranaki iwi’s commercial, cultural, social and environmental aspirations.

Altherm Taranaki Ltd, a manufacturer in the APL Window Solutions network, installed windows made from the APL 40mm Seismic Suite over most floors with the 125mm Flushglaze suite used on the ground floor. Surface finish was Duratec Silver Star powdercoat. Architectural Glass Products (AGP) supplied double glazed The AGP System — Digital Printed IGUS*.

Boon Architects collaborated with Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Te Whiti to embed a cultural narrative in the exterior façade which resembles a korowai cloak, wrapping the building with a decorative screen as a symbol of, “protection, integrity and collectivism.” The name Ngāmotu House was chosen in recognition of a number of hapū collectively known as Ngā hapū o Ngāmotu. It is also the name of the culturally significant Ngā Motu Islands, and is a name now more widely used for New Plymouth.

The builder was Clelands Construction Ltd.