Rollforming Services – Tauranga Library Project
Tauranga, New Zealand
Render of Te Manawataki o Te Papa. Image: Tauranga City Council.
Tauranga’s new Library and Community Hub is more than just a building - it’s a bold vision for the future of sustainable construction. Designed to meet a world-class six Green Star rating, this project pushes the boundaries of efficiency and eco-conscious design. At its core is cutting-edge telescopic framing, manufactured on the X-TENDA™ 3600, a game-changing innovation that minimises waste, streamlines construction, and sets a new benchmark for sustainability. Here’s how this project is redefining the way we build.
The Project: Tauranga’s commitment to a greener future
Part of the $400 million Tauranga Civic Precinct redevelopment, Te Manawataki o Te Papa, the City Council’s new Library and Community Hub is a three-story, multi-functional space. It features a café, flexible community areas, technology innovation zones, and meeting rooms, all with panoramic views of Tauranga Harbour.
At the heart of this project is a commitment to sustainable construction and optimising every aspect to reduce the carbon impact, which is one reason why the team chose to use telescopic framing – more than 12.8km of steel framing in total.
The Solution: Howick’s X-TENDA™ 3600 and telescopic framing
Produced on the X-TENDA™ 3600, telescopic framing is a game-changing solution for streamlined, sustainable construction.
With traditional timber stick framing, 20% of the wood ends up in landfills as offcuts. Even conventional stud-and-track framing requires constant onsite remeasuring and cutting. Telescopic framing overcomes all this waste by adjusting vertically and horizontally to fit a space perfectly.
It’s a smart solution that has been used in award-winning projects around the world to save contractors time, labour and materials.
Manufactured in sequence to match the project’s construction schedule and delivered flat-packed, each drawing set came with its own unique QR code. This QR linked to a 3D model viewer that provided everyone onsite with accurate design information on where each component should go and how it was to be installed.
Key benefits of Howick’s X-TENDA™ 3600 telescopic framing include:
- Waste reduction: Produces up to 10 times less waste, compared with traditional timber framing.
- Lightweight and efficient: Being 60% lighter, minimises transport emissions and requires less labour for installation.
- Precision and flexibility: Perfect for complex designs, telescopic framing can be used to frame up irregular spaces, and even create curved walls.
- Streamlined construction: Pre-cut and pre-drilled frames accelerate timelines, cutting labour requirements by up to 50%.
The Tauranga Library project demonstrates how Howick’s X-TENDA™ 3600 telescopic framing supports a circular economy. With panels that are nearly 100% recyclable at the end of their life cycle and producing almost zero onsite waste, these frames are contributing to the project’s six Green Star goals – the benchmark for sustainability, ensuring excellence in energy efficiency, waste reduction, and material sustainability.
A model for future construction
The Tauranga Library and Community Hub is a shining example of what’s possible when cutting-edge technology meets sustainable design. The versatility of Howick’s X-TENDA™ 3600 telescopic framing system is proving that smarter, greener, and faster construction is not tomorrow’s goal - it’s today’s reality.
For more information on Howick’s telescopic framing technology and X-TENDA™ 3600, and how it can transform your next project, get in touch with our team today.