Hansen Yuncken’s architects, Rice Daubney & Associates, designed a façade to the eastern and southern elevation of this new retail centre that incorporated lighting penetrations to portray the local Illawarra Flame Tree.
A bespoke Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) pre-cast system was designed in conjunction with Asurco Contracting Pty Ltd, a company based in Adelaide. Asurco fabricated the GRC panels and transported them to site for installation.
Custom-made moulds were required for each panel as no two panels are same. In total, there are approximately 50 unique panels installed to the façade.
Using glass fibre reinforcement in lieu of conventional reinforcement not only allowed for a superior pre-cast product in terms of the strength-to-weight ratio, but also provided design flexibility through the ability to form complex shapes and perforations. At night, the perforations are illuminated by LED lights installed behind the panels. 
Meticulous sequencing of works was required to facilitate the GRC installation. A majority of the panels were installed through the use of mobile cranes. To minimise disruption to the city centre, these works were conducted at night as they required substantial road closures. 
The design development, manufacture and installation of this Glass Reinforced Concrete façade has been completed to a very high standard by Hansen Yuncken, making this façade a worthy winner of the Best Use of Concrete award.