The building's frontage was at street level, with high foot traffic particularly at night, so it was important the cladding material could withstand graffiti and abuse.

The durability and anti graffiti properties of Laminam suited the brief perfectly. Laminam is highly resistant to scratching, and graffiti can be easily removed without damaging the surface. Being a full-body porcelain tile, Laminam is a very permanent cladding material – it cannot rot or delaminate, and it won't fade in UV light.

To reduce the possibility of damage due to abuse, 7mm Laminam was used in high-impact areas along the street frontage of the building. Laminam 3.5mm was used everywhere else on the façade, taking advantage of the lightweight of Laminam panels. The system's design allows the thickness of the Laminam panels to change, while maintaining a flush façade, meaning performance and cost can be optimised.

A colour-matched aluminium corner profile was also developed for the project to improve not only the overall visual appeal of the system, but increase the durability of the corner detail during construction and its service life.

The Laminam was installed by Cladding Systems (NZ) Ltd using the Overclad CS45 ventilated facade system. Panels are mounted on individual cassettes, meaning they can be serviced easily at a later date if required and weighing just 13kg/m², the entire system is extremely light, reducing load on the building structure and making installation easier. The panelised system also allows movement between panels, and does not require ongoing maintenance of sealants to remain weathertight.

Contrasting colours and textures were used for different sections of the building. The black glossy textured surface of Laminam Filo Pece was used for the main sections of the cladding, which contrast with the bright white balcony section in Laminam Collection Bianco. Laminam panels each measure 3000 x 1000mm, and are available in more than 90 colours and finishes, including solid colours, patterns, wood-grains, stone, gloss and metallic finishes. Twenty-four of these colours are held in stock in New Zealand – the rest are imported to order from Italy.

See more information about Laminam and the CS45 Cladding System.