Urban renewal showpiece
The Fujitsu building, a speculative office block utilising stainless steel cladding to form a striking ‘gateway’ into Brisbane city, provides an example of how this type of building can be cost-effectively designed while still imparting a sense of character reflective of place.
Situated on Breakfast Creek Road, the five storey Fujitsu building is the first of three buildings in the Portal Business Community to be developed by Ariadne Australia under a master plan by architects, Cox Rayner. It is an urban renewal of a former industrial site.
With this setting in mind, the Fujitsu building utilises economical materials and solar treatments to create intriguing textures in unconventional ways. Whereas many speculative office buildings appear anonymous and soulless, the Fujitsu building achieves a sense of character by combining an efficient floor plan and inexpensive materials such as stainless steel cladding.
The master plan concept turns the building through 90 degrees to north/south, optimising passive energy efficiency through screened and recessed glazing, ground level set-in, thermally insulated lightweight panel cladding the concept of the roof as shade parasol.
Stramit Building Products selected uncoated stainless steel from their premium products range to create contrasting profiles and textures. Grade 445M2 a ferritic stainless steel that offers superior corrosion compared to grade 316 was recommended. A lower reflectivity matt finish was chosen for the site, next to a main road - the matt finish doesn’t compromise the the corrosion resistance of the grade, which is important as the Brisbane river is very close. 445M2 is suitable for roofing and cladding in marine environments and other areas that are too severe for grade 304. Because it is ferritic, grade 445M2 has mechanical and physical properties more like carbon steel than the austenitic grades and is much easier to roll form into flat panels like those on the Fujitsu building.
Source: Building Products News.
21-Apr-2005