Only six buildings out of 180 certified projects have been given 6 stars by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) in the last 13 years, and the latest is 155 Fanshawe Street, a stylish Architectus-designed, Mansons TCLM development with seven storeys of office and retail above two levels of basement car parking.

The 168mm Structural Glaze system from APL Window Solutions was used on all sides of the building, a total of 700 double-glazed or spandrel window panels, supplied and installed by Vantage brand manufacturer, Wight Aluminium.

Crowning these Wight-designed facades was an expansive rooflight in 80 panels installed at a 17° reverse pitch in APL overhead glazing bars. This stunning light trap, much of it in fritted glass for sunshading and decorative purposes, illuminates an atrium running the full height of the building on its southern side. This edge placement is a novel departure from the usual centralised atriums in high-rises which are invisible to passers-by. The transparency of the atrium at 155 Fanshawe gives outsiders a glimpse into the interior of the building — and insiders a refreshing view to Victoria Park with its century-old London plane trees.

APL glazing bars were also used in one of the biggest pedestrian-level canopies that Wight have built. This stretches 46m long on the western side where the main entrance is located, with much of it 10m deep. This cover connects with a south canopy 62m long by 2.2m wide. The surface finish for the APL profiles was 25-micron anodising — black on the south facade, with silver on the other elevations.

The 6-Green Star rating makes 155 Fanshawe one of only three Auckland buildings with a top tier score from NZGBC. The Green Building Council, which is supported by APL Window Solutions as one of five corporate sponsors, awards points across nine categories: energy, water, materials, indoor environment quality, transport, land use and ecology, management, emissions, and innovation.

The NZGBC represents more than 520 companies and organisations, including government departments, banks, energy companies, insurers, property and construction companies, architects, developers, designers and tertiary education institutions.