The new shopping centre in downtown Auckland, officially opened in June 2020 after five years of construction, contains space for retail, gastronomy and entertainment over around 18,000 m². The complex is located at the foot of a 39-storey office tower with an area of 39,000 m², which towers above all the other buildings in the vicinity at a height of 180 m. A diversely used space consisting of multiple buildings is sprawled across an area of around 60,000 m². 

The progress of the flourishing business precinct is also reflected in its modern architecture. The natural stone facade of the new shopping centre buildings is a key aspect. It was important to the planners that the business precinct fit into its natural surroundings. The materials, shapes and patterns that were used echo the surrounding landscape with its cliffs and headlands of the nearby Waitemata Harbour. The fischer undercut anchors fittingly provide a concealed and securely fastening of the Jura limestone panels on a façade area of approx. 4,500 m² to the fischer SystemOne (BS) and SystemOne light (BSL) substructures, which provides a harmonious look to the building without any visible fastening points. fischer supplied the project with a total of 27,500 FZP II Zykon panel anchors 13x26 M8/SO/12 AL and 6,250 specialist anchors FZP II 11x12 M6/10 A4 from 2017 onwards, which were all made of stainless steel. 

“Those responsible for the façade of the company SCE Stone & Design Ltd. had previously tested several alternatives while searching for the right fastening before ultimately deciding on our solution because it sets the standard for fastenings with undercut anchors and hook systems”, explains Steven-Henrik Maier, Head of Market Management facade systems at the fischer Group of Companies. “Our Zykon panel anchors were convincing due to the fact that they are suitable for heavy loads, particularly easy to use and enable concealed fixings while providing the building with a harmonious look”. 

Andrew Parkinson, Managing Director of SCE Stone & Design Ltd. adds: “I was looking for an alternative solution to plug mandrel fixings or bracket solutions in order to be able to implement the planned façade design. The fischer undercut anchors and substructure solutions SystemOne and SystemOne light met the planners' requirements. This façade system also allowed the stone slabs to be 30 mm and 20 mm thick instead of the originally envisaged 40 mm and 30 mm slab thickness - which was additionally economical." 

The fischer FZP II provide a form-fit and expansion-free fastening in the conical undercut drill hole. Their reverse-mounted installation enables fastenings in the 1/5 point of the facade panel. With this technology, the undercut anchors achieve significantly lower slab bending moments and higher load-bearing capacities. This allowed the use of thin yet large-format limestone panels on the façade of the new shopping centre in the Commercial Bay district. Individual panels or even all panels can easily be replaced at a later stage through the use of the SystemOne (BS) and SystemOne light (BSL) hook-on profiles. 

Further commissioned façade planners and builders also relied on the expertise of the fischer fastening experts when mounting the interior facade. “The Italian supplier of the travertine panels had recommended our colleagues for the project due to their successful long-term cooperation”, reports Jan Zimmermann, Market Manager facade systems at the fischer Group of Companies. fischer’s subsidiary in Italy was therefore also involved in the project with approximately 10,000 FZP II 15x15 M8i.

The fixings specialist also supported the client throughout all phases of construction. “The technical support we provided ranged from planning and consultation to pull-out tests for the respective indoor and outdoor applications as well as on-site support”, Jan Zimmermann adds.