A dream come true for Auckland’s water sports community

Auckland’s Hyundai Marine Sports Centre sits on a premier site alongside the Orakei Marina at the entrance of the Waitemata Harbour. Since 1895, the location has been the home of the Royal Akarana Yacht Club. In 2012, the club voted to build a new facility to house a variety of sailing and marine-related clubs, including the University of Auckland’s water sports clubs.

The site has a northerly exposed aspect, so it’s vulnerable to ex-cyclones migrating down from the tropics. When storms arrive from the north or northeast, rain and wind hit with severe force. For 106 Architects, who won the commission to design the $12 million project, designing a roof that can withstand extreme weather was paramount. Their solution involved custom-made, double-coated 33-metre roofing sheets, which are three times longer than standard sheets.

The centre has a sweeping, two-level roof resembling sails on a yacht. The white roof cladding helps to bring this illusion to life.

Made-to-order by Dimond Roofing and ColorCote

Pacific Environments NZ with 106 Architects specified Dimondek 400 roofing made with ColorCote AlumiGard X for the marine centre. To manufacture Dimondek 400, Dimond roll forms aluminium that’s pre-coated by ColorCote. Their super-durable AlumiGard paint system has an acrylic or polyester top coat baked on a polyester primer.

“Making this roofing product is a collaborative process,” says Jason Whiteman, Auckland Sales Manager for Dimond Roofing. “ColorCote buy in the aluminium coil and take it through their paint line. The profile forming is done by Dimond after coating."

Dimondek 400 comes with a 15-year warranty, although its actual lifespan is likely to be much longer.

“The AlumiGard X process is baked-paint, so it’s highly durable. There’s a good chance 25 years will pass before a repaint is needed,” says Jason. 

A challenging project that sailed over the finish line without a hitch

Fletcher Construction started on the marine centre project in May 2017, using Framecad’s advanced cold-formed steel (CFS) system to deliver quicker construction. Because CFS frames are pre-assembled, generally no on-site welding or cutting is required. The erection process is fast and simple, offering a much more predictable construction schedule and less on-site cost than traditional construction methods.

In readiness for the roof installation, Dimond organised early morning deliveries of the 33-metre Dimondek 400 sheets. It’s challenging to manoeuvre a truck and trailer carrying sheets this size around a roundabout, so a specific delivery route from Onehunga to Okahu Bay was identified.

Roofing sheets were lifted into place using specialised trailer lifts and cranes, then installed by a team from Plumbing Saint Lukes Ltd. Dimond’s concealed nylon coated clip system was used to secure sheets to the underlying structure, with Dimondek wind clamps installed around the roof edges where design wind loads were the highest.

“Aluminium expands and contracts with temperature changes, so we had to ensure the extra-long sheets could cope with this movement. The nylon clip system won’t corrode, so sheets can slide during expansion without causing any fixing or weathertightness problems,” says Jason.

The beautiful white Dimondek 400 roofing on the Hyundai Marine Sports Centre tops off an incredible addition to the Auckland community. It’s helping to ensure the centre will be an asset for generations to come.