With a proud history and strong community support, the club building has occupied its current site at Fowlds Park since the 1930’s, and is one of the most successful rugby league clubs in New Zealand. But an outdated exterior was starting to put a damper on the ground’s warm welcome, calling for new cladding and joinery.

Specialists at Steel & Tube worked closely with architects and designers to find the right materials. The roofing team assisted in planning, detailing and material selection, and helped keep the project on track during the renovation.

Mark McLeay, founder of Creative Arch, the architectural design firm behind the project, has supported the club for several decades and has been at the helm of design decisions and fundraising. "The aim was to make this a true community sports club," says Mark. "In addition to the reclad, we’re extending and upgrading the facilities."

Metal cladding for style and easy maintenance

"From the outset," says Mark, "we wanted to go with metal cladding, due to the look, local manufacture, and choice of colours. It is also very low maintenance. Steel & Tube showed us a wide range of options, and we selected the Legacy profile."

Legacy was introduced by Steel & Tube in 2022 to complement the EuroLine range of roofing products. It uses modern high-strength roll-forming technology, eliminating the need for a supporting plywood substrate. The product is also available in continuous lengths, which speeds up installation; and with no butt joins, the envelope is streamlined and weathertight.

A high-quality product for the local community

Though delayed by the cyclones of early 2023, Steel & Tube were determined to help this crucial community project stay on track by upgrading their product without impacting budgets.

Mark explains: "There were difficulties getting materials on site during the floods. The silver lining for us is we’ve ended up with a matt finish, which Steel & Tube provided at no extra cost. The team has been great to deal with and they’ve really helped us out."

Durability and longevity

Unlike a timber alternative, the Legacy profile is very low-maintenance, with no need for regular repainting during the warranty period, which makes it highly cost-effective for the club over time. It uses a concealed clip-fixed trough section system and is suitable for roof cladding, down to a minimum pitch of 3 degrees and vertical wall cladding installed over a drained cavity.

Legacy is available in various COLORSTEEL products through Steel & Tube. Mark and his team opted for COLORSTEEL Flaxpod — which, he notes, "has come up really well in the matt finish. We’re so pleased with the result."

Contractor Mark Ma’s company Allstar Roofing has been in charge of the installation and is impressed with the results so far. "This is a big job for us and I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out using the Legacy profile from Steel & Tube."

A revitalised community asset

With phase one of the refurbishment completed, Steel & Tube are continuing to work with Creative Arch to complete the ground’s transformation into an asset fit for the twenty-first century. Mark says, "The project also includes a new disabled lift, upgrade of changing rooms, bathrooms and entrance area, an upper floor extension and an upgraded club room."

"This has taken a lot of organisations, as the club has remained operational throughout. But this work enables us to offer so much more to the community — it’s not just about rugby league. Several other organisations can use these facilities, so we’re focused on the broadest outcome to benefit the community of Mount Albert and beyond."