Case Study: Extensive Balustrading Brings Architectural Vision to Life
Designed by Archi-ON, the Victor Apartments is a landmark six storey development in Browns Bay, Auckland, offering 56 freehold apartments and eight penthouses. With impressive sea views from the second floor upwards and a plant-filled internal atrium, safe and visually pleasing balustrades were a key requirement for the project. By specifying Panorama frameless glass balustrades from UNEX, the architects were able to maximise views and achieve a sleek architectural look.
The Victor Apartments feature two main buildings connected by a central atrium. For this space, the Archi-ON team looked for a balustrade option that would provide a sleek, minimalistic look. “We tried to have minimal distracting lines along the atrium face, which is why we wanted to use a glass balustrade system,” explains Anthony Lee, Director, Archi-ON.
What we liked about UNEX is that they do a lot of engineering. We knew the look we wanted, and UNEX were happy to adjust their profiles to suit our project.
In total 335m of UNEX’s Panorama frameless glass balustrade in Duratec Matt Black was specified for the internal atrium. With lush plants featured throughout, a key challenge for the design was making sure there was a sense of continuity between balustrades and planter boxes. “Unex worked through these challenges and we managed to build in greenery boxes to blend in with the balustrades,” says Anthony.
Panorama frameless glass balustrades also play a key role in maximising views for external apartment balconies, with 341m of balustrades specified across the five upper storeys of the building. The frameless design of the balustrade with its side-mounted channel provides clear views to the sea, while the sleek rail creates a striking yet understated aesthetic.
The UNEX team worked closely with Archi-ON and main contractor Waide Construction throughout the design and consenting process, taking extra care to meet the project requirements for both style and safety. They provided a site-specific PS1 to ensure seamless approval by Auckland Council, and followed up with on-site support to ensure a seamless installation. “The UNEX team were helpful in resolving technical issues on site,” says Anthony.
The use of the UNEX Panorama frameless glass balustrades has resulted in a sleek architectural look for the Victor Apartments that at once offers maximum transparency and utmost safety for residents. “We’re very pleased with the final result,” says Anthony.
“It's what we had envisioned at the design stage, so we achieved exactly what we wanted in this project.”
