The brief from the owners was to create a building requiring minimal maintenance inside and out, and maximum longevity of design. Inspired by Bauhaus philosophies, Taylor Reynolds devised a scheme which embraced the small irregular shaped footprint and considered the adjoining residential street scape offering high quality German manufactured products at every turn.

The exterior curved brick façade cladding was a design response to the splayed title boundary providing a practical solution and visual feature to a design impediment. Taylor Reynolds chose the striking KLAY Brickslip KBS SKV 2048 Silver Steel with a glazed, low maintenance finish. Fired at temperatures of over 1400 degrees celsius this product is non-combustible, easy to clean, UV stable and frost resistant. Installed using an adhesive fix system and coupled with custom made corners the end result cannot be distinguished from heavier, slower to install traditional brickwork.

The brick façade cladding has been wrapped into the internal stairwell of the building providing an attractive and robust surface which catches the light from the ground floor to second floor stairwell window. With internal lighting at night, the stairwell offers occupants safety and can withstand knocks and bumps from resident relocations.

The façade design is further enhanced via Keratwin ceramic façade panels in a negative groove pattern on level 2. Manufactured by German company Agrob Buchtal, who have over four decades manufacturing experience, the ceramic façade provides a curtain wall system capable of withstanding the elements, light and colour fast and offering proprietary Hytect technology. Hytect actively breaks down air pollutants and car fumes, impedes the growth of moss, algae, mould and other microorganisms and significantly reduces the cleaning effort associated with the façade surface, all achieved through laboratory tested and proven chemical reactions associated with titanium dioxide as a baked-in inclusion.

From the approach to the front door, throughout the stairwell and corridors and on balcony surfaces further products from the Agrob Buchtal range have been utilised. For areas subject to rain or shoe borne water Quarzit Basalt Grey in R110/B has been utilized. Nova Mid Grey with matching skirting has been used in the public areas and Nova Cream Beige within the apartments. A real feature in the kitchen areas are the splashbacks tiled in Craft Olive Green offering a high gloss glaze which provides depth and an intensive colour reminisce of handcrafted products from by-gone eras.

Bathrooms are fully tiled using Nova on the floors and most walls, with Kiano decorative elements as feature tiles laid in a vertical stack bond. Featuring a delicate “stroke” design and high gloss surface Kiano adds interest and an international flavour to the spaces.

Achieving its design brief of longevity, the owners of this building are completely satisfied with the outcome and can highly recommend these products to other developers and building owners.

Architect:

• Taylor Reynolds

Product:

• Brickslip KBS SKV 2048 Silver Steel
• Keratwin K20 Ceramic Façade 6282 Green 2
• Craft 9020-2120 Olive Green Flamed
• Nova 600x600mm Mid Grey with matching skirting R10/A
• Quarzit Basalt Grey R11/B
• Kiano Feature Tile

Project Type:

• Multi-Residential

Product Type:

• Brickslip Facades
• Ceramic Façade System