Qantas Building Chifley Square Sydney
The facade of Qantas House is an early stick system curtain wall and its striking curved shape justifies the heritage listing by the Sydney City Council.
As with all early systems, the putty glazed facade was unable to capture ingested water, store and discharge freely to the outside when wind pressures subsided.
Also, limited vertical movement within the stack joint of the mullions resulted in a brittle rather than a flexible facade.
The options to repair the waterproofing properties of the curved facade were limited by the heritage listing, which restricted any external modifications.
After several late nights and different options, an internal drainage system was designed and installed alongside the transom at ceiling level which effectively captured and diverted all ingested water down the mullion system.
Water testing confirmed the success of the repair method and one very happy client.
Under major interior refurbishment in 2003 by Walter Constructions, the 12 storey facade was upgraded and repaired over a six month period.
