Te Papa has opened a new two floor multi gallery space to showcase New Zealand art. The new gallery space, Toi Art is Te Papa's biggest change since opening 20 years ago and has increased the national museum's floor space for art by 35 per cent.
Architect Warren & Mahoney approached CS Cavity Sliders with a detailed specification for a moveable wall consisting of two pivot doors, each 3.5m wide by 3.1m high, with a door thickness of 350mm to match the wall thickness above. The initial design was to be constructed of a steel frame with ply layer, finished with fibrous plaster to match the adjacent Art Gallery walls. The steel was replaced during the design phase with aluminium for a stable but lighter end result, with the doors ending up around 350 kg each.
The internal structure of the doors was designed by CS Cavity Sliders, with aluminium extrusions CNC machined in house then mechanically fixed together for a precise fit. A drop bolt system holds the doors closed and there are additional floor fixings to hold the doors in a number of set open positions as required. CS engineers met with contractors on site during construction to ensure accuracy on sizing and installation. The doors were built in the Auckland factory before dismantling and flat packing to ship down to Wellington for installation. A team was sent down to Wellington to rebuild the doors in position on site.
Architect: Warren & Mahoney
Contractors:
Hawkins
Latham Construction
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