Design:

Isthmus

Client:

Auckland waterfront

Description

The Liquidstone team worked with the contractor, designers and engineers on the detail design of this world first application for GRC. The design called for 3 1/2 meter tall 1500mm diameter pile casings in 15mm thick GRC to be installed as cladding around structural steel piles to eliminate any alignment issues plus provide a high quality architectural finish. In the final design each casing had up to 16no custom fabricated brackets cast into an GRC edge thickening allowing the two halves to be stitched together on site like a jigsaw puzzle. A modified high strength GRC mix including waterproofing admixture was developed especially for this project to withstand the harsh tidal environment.

Estimated time saving on site

Approx 3 - 6 months. By prefabricating the pile casings off site and using the GRC casings as permanent formwork the contractor was able to achieve their pre-Xmas 2020 deadline in spite of Covid-19 disruptions.

Design versatility

Intricate artwork has been factory applied to the surface of the GRC to an exacting standard set by the Architects and in collaboration with the Iwi artist.