The old BNZ building, which is the new home for the Tauranga Art Gallery had to undergo significant demolition and re-strengthening prior to the Art Gallery being constructed. The unusual exterior cladding of the building makes this project stand out.

Using a combination of exterior solid plaster on masonry block, with a deep red paint colour supplied by Alto, and 100mm thick colour steel insulated panels, with strong bold aluminium powder coated yellow flashings. Capping this off is a strong glass canopy on the side of the building, which interacts with racking canopy, formed from more 100mm thick insulated panels.

Once you enter the building through the glass frameless automaticdoors, Watts and Hughes’s attention to detail will not disappoint you. With the main foyer exploiting three significant large walls and an 8.2m high ceiling with feature fibrous slotted tiles and numerous bulk heads. The interior of the project is features 1,500 m2 of fibrous plaster including ceilings and walls, recess modus lighting tracks in the ceilings, dropped down to rondo ceilings, yellow aluminium powder coated panels, negative details around internal doors, 2 large glass floors supported by structural steel frames and 2 large sky lights.