A new lease of life for 202 Ponsonby Road
Rejuvenating a 1980s Commercial Building with a Façade Redesign, Reclad and Refined Plaster Finish.
JCY Architects recently undertook an upgrade of 202 Ponsonby Road for Mansons TCLM — an ageing and underutilised commercial building that wasn’t maximising its prime location. A clever reshaping of the façade has helped to increase the usability and street appeal of the building, with the choice of a StoArmour Façade Panel system playing a key role in rejuvenating the dated façade and helping it better integrate with the surrounding heritage buildings.
Reworking the façade was crucial for the project; the original building didn’t take advantage of its prime street-level interface, with a ramp and bulky stairs reducing site frontage and creating an awkward raised entrance. In addition, the bulky roofed canopy and 1980s textured plaster finish clashed with the surrounding heritage landscape.
The redesign by JCY Architects aimed to resolve these issues. On the lower retail level, a new 3.8m-high glass shopfront and street-level access creates greater active edge connectivity and visibility for the building, while on the upper façade, a more structured, balanced form has been created by extending and squaring off the existing parapet. A large western facing deck structure was added to the rear of the upper office floor to provide amenity and an expansive western outlook. This deck is Sto plastered and is incorporated seamlessly into the main building. Window and façade details bring in heritage elements to reflect the detail of surrounding neighbourhood buildings.
To finish the look of the reshaped façade, JCY Architects wanted a smooth plaster finish that would meet the stringent performance requirements of the commercial building. Having worked with Sto before on previous projects, they turned to them once again, with Sto recommending the StoArmour AAC Façade Panel System as the right solution for the project.
“Sto recommended the system as it is a robust solution and gives the appearance of deeper window reveals,” says Jason Gerrand, Director, JCY Architects. “This provides a detail nicely aligned with the surrounding heritage buildings, and allows the ability to create façade inset detailing.”
The StoArmour AAC Façade Panel System is a BRANZ appraised system comprising of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panels reinforced with ductile steel, installed horizontally in a brick-bond pattern over 20mm cavity battens, and finished with the StoArmat Miral Render System. It is a smart solution for achieving a refined, durable and fully compliant finish for new or reclad projects alike. Tested to the highest standards, the system meets fire safety requirements for commercial buildings (testing to BS 8414-2 + ISO 5660.1) — including those over 25m tall, has a Fire Resistance Rating of 120/120/120, and provides excellent weathertightness performance (testing to E2/VM1 + AS/NZS 4284).
The new façade, together with masonry block work areas, were finished with an advanced StoArmat Miral Render System, featuring a Stolit K 1.5 mm texture to achieve a refined seamless appearance. This system delivers over 10x the flexibility and crack resistance of conventional cementitious renders, resulting in a longer façade lifespan, reduced maintenance, and lasting protection, all backed with a 20-Year StoArmat Warranty.
The Sto team supported the architects throughout the project to help achieve the finish they were after. “Sto were heavily involved from the outset,” says Jason. “The technical team were very helpful in providing design and detail input as the project/design developed, helping us understand different elements such as how to detail the recessed band around the top of the building and how to detail the new windows. They were actively involved throughout the design development process through to building consent.”
The system was installed by Sto Contractor CG Plastering, who took care to achieve the more intricate details of the façade and window detailing — resulting in a meticulous finish. The end result demonstrates how the StoArmour AAC Façade Panel System can deliver both architectural elegance and robust compliance — proving itself as an ideal choice for demanding reclad projects.
“The Sto finish looks great,” says Jason. “The original building had an of-its-day 80s plaster system, which was very heavy and textured. We chose a finer stipple for the Sto finish providing a refined crisp finish to it. The result looks great and is in line with overall improvement.”
“The building has come up resplendently,” continues Jason. “The look, functionality and new at grade active edge retail greatly improves the interface to Ponsonby Road and improves the experience of how the neighbourhood and building users interact with the building. The building use has been significantly improved whilst maximising the retention of the core building structural shell, providing significant cost and environmental benefits through this reuse.”
202 Ponsonby Road, Auckland
Architect: JCY Architects
Developer / Construction: Mansons TCLM
Sto Contractor: CG Plastering
Sto System:
StoArmat Miral Render System over Concrete Block
