5 Parramatta Square

Bold red amphitheatre-inspired roof facade

Summary

Location:

5 Parramatta Square, Parramatta

Sector:

Public library, council chambers, and discovery centre

Size:

7 storeys (31.5m high)

Estimated cost:

$136M

Completion date:

2022

Team

Client:

City of Parramatta Council

Main contractor:

Built

Architect:

Manuelle Gautrand Architecture (with DesignInc and Lacoste + Stevenson)

Facade installation contractor:

Highlight Aluminium

Facade Manufacturer

Singyes Engineering (HK)

Facade consultant:

Surface Design

Facade specs & stats

Systems:

Unitised curtain-wall system
Panelised drained roof cladding system
Motorised sun shading
Framed window-walls
Formed aluminium soffits
Site-glazed sloping structural glass wall
Semi-frameless clerestory glazing
Glass balustrades, operable glass louvres
Automatic sliding doors, swing doors and framed bi-folding doors

Facade area:

6,200m2

Largest panel:

980kg

Heaviest panel:

Total no. individual façade panels:

1,140

Individual 3D formed aluminium roof panels:

549

Modular roof panel size:

7.2m x 2.1m

Total no. modular roof panels & crane lifts:

142

Custom developed powder coat colours:

Total no. unique panels:

800

Sustainability:

6-star Green Star

Facade specs & stats (Continued)

Total no. modular roof panels & crane lifts:

142

Custom developed powder coat colours:

Total no. unique panels:

800

Sustainability:

6-star Green Star

Systems:

Unitised curtain-wall system
Panelised drained roof cladding system
Motorised sun shading
Framed window-walls
Formed aluminium soffits
Site-glazed sloping structural glass wall
Semi-frameless clerestory glazing
Glass balustrades, operable glass louvres
Automatic sliding doors, swing doors and framed bi-folding doors

A series of fragmented, red-hued panels

Both roof and facade

Challenges

Phive Parramatta Square appears as a series of stacked crystalline blocks in a range of red-hued colours inspired by the local flora—native waratahs, banksias and grevilleas. The lightweight aluminium-framed modular roof panels are angled to follow the solar path, sloping steeply to become vertical at the top. Each row of blocks represents one level of the building.

The angled panels mean the building facade is also a roof. On the ground plane, an asymmetrical cantilever shelters pedestrians. On the inside, hundreds of folds in the facade offer panoramic views and filtered light.

Recovering the project from the original facade contractor
Complex design, fabrication and assembly
Weather- and pandemic-related supply and installation complications

Recovering the project

Complex manufacture and installation

Waterproofing in a La Niña season

We came into the project late, when the original contractor couldn’t complete the job. To recover the project, we needed to establish a new supply chain, undertake documentation for a full redesign, and carry out project-specific testing for the modular roof and curtain wall systems.

The sloping roof facade incorporates sculptural panels with 3D geometry. We manufactured the panels using an aluminium sheet that was cut, folded, welded and reinforced to form integrated cladding modules. Each module varied in size and shape to suit the building geometry.

We designed a semi-unitised modular skylight system with a fully drained and pressure-equalised secondary rafter as a backup drainage system. We pre-assembled it off-site, and developed a steel-lifting frame so we could install large areas at once. Jointing between modules used a compressible dry gasket system, eliminating the need for external installation access.