Brio’s
SINGLE RUN COPES WITH
WELLINGTON, NZ WEATHER AT
LANDMARK DEVELOPMENT
Brio architectural hardware has been
instrumental in the transformation of
a heritage landmark in New Zealand’s
capital, Wellington.
The Appartamento II Casino complex has
been designed to interface seamlessly
with a heritage landmark building,
formerly an iconic restaurant, while
incorporating cutting edge contemporary
architectural elements.
The architects have designed the
apartment complex to offer residents an
indoor or outdoor living space in any kind
of weather with a signature feature of the
design being exterior sliding glass panels
to allow residents to control, their own
environment.
Specialist glass manufacturer Euroglass
was presented with the task of providing
a sliding system that would cope with
environmental conditions and also carry
the weight of the double-glazed glass
panels. The system would also need to be
able to handle the blustery and extreme
weather conditions that Wellington is
famous for. Taking all considerations into
account, Euroglass decided there was only
one possible solution – Brio’s SingleRun
350 system.
Brio’s Single Run 350 system was
picked because it could cope easily with
Euroglass’s calculations that the glass
panels would be subject to wind loads of
up to 3.04kPa (approximately 300kg per
square metre of glass) without flexing in
even the strongest winds. Plus, with each
double-glazed panel weighing around
133kg, the system had to be able to
handle the heavy panel weight, ensuring
the panels remained stable and in place
under any wind buffeting. The system
also needed to be suitable for a marine
environment, as well as hardwearing and
stain-resistant.
Made from 316 grade stainless steel and
marine-grade anodised aluminium, Brio
Single Run 350 easily matched both the
environmental and wind load capacity
requirements. Extensively tested in an
industry standard salt-spray chamber,
Brio’s sliding system has been designed to
be used in marine environments, with each
element constructed from the highest
quality corrosion resistant materials and
specialised stain-resistant coatings.
Already engineered to handle panels up to
350kg, Brio 350 Single Run’s side-wall was
thick enough to ensure no flexing would
occur under wind load. More importantly,
this also meant that the glass panels would
remain in their tracks and not be blown
out under pressure.
Because it is manufactured to industrywide standards, Brio’s sliding system and
hardware was easily compatible with the
customised fittings Euroglass supplied to
secure the glass panels in place.
Single Run 350 is ideally suited to large
architectural openings in residential,
commercial and industrial interior
or exterior applications. Like all Brio
Single Run Architectural Systems, the
combination of precision bearings, nylon
tyred wheels and a unique track profile
offers quiet finger-tip control.
Brio straight sliding architectural systems
are designed to be discrete. Square track
is ideally shaped for recessing into the
ceiling line. Two parallel track seal grooves
locate bush seals that not only hide
the hanger bolts and brackets, but also
provide an element of sound retention.
The track can be top-fixed through the
track or side-fixed using Brio stainless
steel face-fixed mounting brackets for
single or double track runs.
According to David Newton, General
Manager UK at Brio, the demand for
bi-folding and sliding exterior and interior
doors is set to continue apace, whether in
the home or in a commercial environment.
“With all this creativity architects need
to know there is a ‘go to’ expert who
can help them achieve their vision with
a service that provides not only the
architectural hardware that will ‘hold
up’ both aesthetically and in use but also
the expertise to provide a full technical
specification from a drawing – or even a
chat on the phone,” he says.
“We are a global company focused
on bringing adventurous ideas to life,
converting the conceptual thoughts of our
customers into exciting reality. I sincerely
believe the Brio range of quality, well
designed product combined with expert
technical resources makes us a world
leader in design and quality,” concludes
Newton.
For more details on the BRIO product
range visit www.briouk.com