Our coatings look after the world’s most iconic and acclaimed buildings. Among them is the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Since its redevelopment in 2011, the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand has won 23 awards and counting, including the prestigious World Architecture Festival's 2013 World Building of the Year. 
 

The redevelopment plan aimed at restoring and preserving heritage elements and sensitively combining them with 21st-century design. This included earthquake-proofing and heritage restoration of the 1887 and 1916 components of the main building and the addition of new, contemporary elements that increased display space by 50 per cent. One of the most distinctive features of the new building is its roof design, which forms a series of fine ‘tree-like’ canopies that define and cover the forecourt, atrium and gallery areas.

Our coatings complemented this architectural challenge of blending old with new. A coatings system comprising of Interzinc 42, Intergard 251 and Interthane 990 was used to protect structural steel, while Interchar 963 was used to provide essential protection from the effects of fire.

AkzoNobel’s Area Sales Manager for New Zealand said of the selection of Interchar 963, “Interchar 963 was chosen for Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki for a number of reasons. Not only does it possess an extensive track record showing proven performance, but it is also optimized to provide fire resistance for structural steel work for up to 60 minutes.” Suitable for use with a range of topcoat finishes, Interchar 963 also ensured that aesthetics were not compromised, which was vital on a project that aimed to provide a new, unique architectural identity to an iconic building. “The unswerving attention to detail from all those involved in the project, including AkzoNobel, was maintained throughout the entire project from design to finish. This professionalism was crucial in achieving such an outstanding and remarkably beautiful result.” said Auckland Art Gallery Director Rhana Devenport.
 

Location of project: Auckland, New Zealand
Products/system used: Interzinc 42, Intergard 251, Interthane 990, Interchar 963
Project size: 6,500m²