MG 9529 min

Clyde Quay Wharf

Jutting out a considerable distance into Wellington Harbour, Clyde Quay Wharf Apartments are susceptible to the full force of the Wellington wind, along with any rain or salt spray that comes with it. For the plant room and car park, this posed a significant risk.

Almost a decade later, the Ventuer solution has weathered many storms and continues to perform exactly as intended, a wonderful example of high-performance, low-maintenance design.

The extensive redevelopment of the overseas passenger terminal in this prime harborside location followed a design competition by Wellington Waterfront Ltd. The winning design from Athfield Architects included 75 high-end apartments, along with a mix of retail and food outlets, all accessible by the general public, as is the area around the apartments.

The design is influenced by historical and nautical references from the immediate area. Whether they liked it or not, for the architects this included the influence of Mother Nature. The site juts out a considerable distance into the harbour and is susceptible to the full force of the Wellington wind, along with any rain or salt spray that comes with it. The plant room on the roof of the complex was particularly exposed, calling for a high performance ventilation louvre that would stand up to the conditions.

A secondary issue, again down to the unique location, was sea spray entering the car parking area just above the water level. The corrosive properties of the spray had the potential to cause significant damage to the expensive vehicles inside, within a relatively short space of time.

Both the plant room and car parking area had to keep the weather out but allow enough ventilation for fresh air to reach the inside, whilst also allowing vehicle exhaust fumes and any mechanical plant exhaust fumes to escape. That’s a tricky balancing act not many louvres can pull off, making the correct choice of ventilation louvre more critical than with the average project.

The solution was to use the Ventuer VL-3SD system. Designed specifically to offer the ultimate in weather protection, this is a 3 stage weather louvre. The louvre blades are supported on a two-piece pressure equalised mullion system, bordered by a frame that ejects captured water to the front of the panel. The design harnesses the force and behaviour of water to actively divert it away from the opening, preventing it from reaching the inside.

For areas where high wind speeds and levels of rainfall are expected, it provides a comforting level of reassurance which is backed by the Class A rating under BS/EN:13030 for air volumes up to 2.5 m3/second.

As a side note to the system used at Clyde Quay Wharf, the Ventuer VL-3SD system shares the same support frame as the VL-2SD, VL-50 CM and VL-100CM, and can be combined with these products to provide cost saving configurations.

Clyde Quay Wharf would go on to win the overall 2016 NZ Architecture Award. A fitting recognition for an excellent design. Of course, for us it’s the ventilation louvres that mark it as a project of particular interest. They’ve weathered many storms over the years and continue to perform exactly as intended, a wonderful example of high-performance, low-maintenance design.

Project Credits

Architect: Athfield Architects
Main Contractor: LT McGuinness

 

Products Supplied: VL 3SD triple bank ventilation louvres

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