Cardinal Logistics recently constructed a brand-new automated logistics facility in Drury, South Auckland. Located on a 9.8ha site, the warehouse is 240m long, 90m wide and ten storeys high — reaching 28m at its highest point. Strength and reliability were key when it came to selecting the roofing and cladding — with Roofing Industries’ Maxispan roofing and Multirib cladding specified for the immense project. 

The building was designed by Woodhams Meikle Zhan Architects (WMZA) and built by contractors Haydn & Rollet with the aim of creating a functional, long-lasting and aesthetically-pleasing space. “Our goal was to ensure the building delivers long term performance with minimal maintenance while providing a modern and professional appearance for Cardinal Logistics,” explains Kevin Lin, Architect, WMZA. “For the roofing and cladding we focussed on durability, weather resistance and visual appeal.”

For the extensive roof of the facility, Roofing Industries’ Maxispan profile in Colorcote Gull Grey was specified to provide the spanning capability, water carrying capacity and low maintenance required. “Maxispan offers exceptional long spanning capability and high strength ideal for covering large warehouses,” says Kevin. “This reduces complexity in the design, making it a cost-effective solution.”

For the facade, which features vertical stripes in light grey, dark grey and red, Roofing Industries’ Multirib was chosen to bring the strength, look and weather resistance needed. “Multirib provides a sleek and contemporary appearance that complements the overall building. It’s a go-to profile we use for the majority of our projects, especially for commercial and industrial buildings,” says Kevin. “It is highly durable, and offers superior protection against weather elements which is crucial for maintaining building integrity over time.”

Collaboration was key to the success of the build, with roofers Steel Roofing brought in early in the project to ensure smooth installation later down the track. This helped them prepare for a challenging extra-height install.

“Cardinal Logistics is probably one of the highest warehouses that's being built in Auckland at the moment — 28m at the highest point,” says Brent Botha, Director, Steel Roofing Ltd. “We work at height a lot but not generally at that height, so all the machinery we used is extra height access machinery. It also poses challenges for the teams to get used to working at that height. The extra five to ten metres makes a difference — wind-wise it throws up a lot of issues for us.” 

The significant height of the building also made cladding design and install more challenging, with two sheets of cladding needed to cover the full height of the walls. “You couldn’t have a single wall cladding sheet in that length, so they had to split the cladding at a certain point,” explains Brent. “We had sheets going up halfway, then a second sheet with a flashing joint going up to the top, so it was a two-step process.”

Extra care was taken to detail this more complex design. “One of the primary challenges was managing details at those tricky junctions and corners, and getting the flashings and sealings right to prevent potential ingress,” says Kevin. “Through close collaboration we effectively addressed those challenges to ensure correct installation.”

Painstaking attention to detail was needed when lining up the two sheets of Multirib cladding to create the clean lines of the striped facade. “Running colour from bottom to top and lining the sheets up as we went was quite challenging. We were using lasers at some points to keep it all straight and that bit more precise,” says Brent. “Multirib is a really strong, rigid profile that maintains its clean lines, which made it easier for us to line everything up. That profile probably has more strength than most, so was ideal for what we were trying to achieve.” 

The meticulous level of care taken throughout design and install is reflected in the end result — a striking new facility for Cardinal Logistics featuring clean vertical stripes that add interest and a touch of Cardinal’s branding to the facade. And the building owners can have peace of mind knowing the Roofing Industries Maxispan roofing and Multirib cladding will offer the high performance, durability and low maintenance they need to keep the warehouse running smoothly.

“The design and install process went smoothly overall thanks to thorough planning and collaboration with Roofing Industries and Steel Roofing,” adds Kevin. “We’re extremely pleased with the final result. It meets all our expectations in terms of functionality, durability and appearance, and Steel Roofing did a great job, especially with the finishings of flashings and how it's terminated and sealed so everything looks great.”