Forman Commercial Interiors completed the seamless installation of ceilings and walls for Nick Scali’s latest flagship store in Wairau Valley, Auckland which opened in November 2020.
Mike Dutton, Product Specialist – Ceilings & Walls for Comfortech Building Performance Solutions® says the project team did an exceptional job of ensuring the smooth rollout which included Armstrong Metalworks Open Cell 100x100 and ClimateLine® Eco Tile panels on Armstrong PeakForm Suprafine Grid along with Studco Steel Framing for the partition walls.
“Due to the large plenum space there was potential for a lot of issues, by engaging Comfortech® early in the project and having a local contractor familiar with seismic, we were able to work together to provide a solution that not only met the brief but saved the client money and was much faster from an install perspective,” he says.
“Often the more products we supply for installation the easier it is – it streamlines the process and eliminates delays for contractors, which can often be the case when engaging lots of different suppliers and definitely reduces risk of things going wrong.”
Overcoming challenges
The build posed several challenges due to the prevailing site conditions, including a high ceiling plenum, multiple freestanding partitions and a large ceiling area that spanned over 2,500m².
“We worked closely with our engineering partner KCL and supplier Comfortech® to design a unique interface between the ceilings and the partitions that allowed movement and bracing in a seismic event,” says Sherwin Borges, Quantity Surveyor at Forman Commercial Interiors.
The Forman Commercial Interiors team was also acutely aware of another challenge – due to the large floor space and the wide perspective afforded in the store, the ceiling grid needed to be absolutely straight and true.
“Our team, through their thoroughness and attention to detail, ensured the ceiling grid was millimetre perfect and the partitions set out with the same accurate measurements. Because of this, Nick Scali was able to set out their modules and displays with ease,” he says.
The store was scheduled to open in March 2020 but due to the pandemic was delayed until November. Having local engineers and installers on the ground in New Zealand, along with locally manufactured product meant delays were significantly less and management of these elements much easier.
