Firth Creates a Work of Art with Concrete Ceiling at Elephant Hill Winery

By Firth

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Products used: Pumped Concrete, Self Compacting Concrete

Summary:

State of the art winery Elephant Hill is a $40 million investment in Hawke’s Bay wine industry – and a showcase for Firth’s technical expertise.

Inspired by views of the Pacific Ocean and the natural beauty of the coast, architect John Blair designed the estate's buildings to be clad in a natural green aged copper - which will result in a continuing aging effect in the salt-laden air.

To further marry the building to the landscape, the local grey aggregate was used in many different forms, including concrete. The buildings used around 2,500m3 of various grades of concrete, mostly 30MPa.

The impressive vaulted, concave ceiling in the winery required more than 500m3 of standard 30MPa super plasticised concrete with 19mm aggregate. It features an unusual wood-grain finish - created by pouring the concrete over rough sawn Radiata Pine and then peeling it off once the concrete had dried to reveal the textural effect.

To supply the massive quantities of concrete required for the three ceiling pours, trucks travelled from Firth's Awatoto and Hastings plants to deliver concrete at a rate of 50m³ per hour.

Project manager Troy Briggs, from main contractors Alexander Construction, says his company had never done a vaulted ceiling like this before. He was very pleased with the amount of technical expertise Firth could offer to make the project a success.

"It resulted in a very good finish, very close to what we were trying to achieve."

Firth Creates a Work of Art with Concrete Ceiling at Elephant Hill Winery
Firth Creates a Work of Art with Concrete Ceiling at Elephant Hill Winery

Professionals used in
Firth Creates a Work of Art with Concrete Ceiling at Elephant Hill Winery

Firth
Firth
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About the
Professional

Firth is one of New Zealand's best known and most trusted trade names in concrete. They have been developing, manufacturing and delivering concrete and concrete products to New Zealanders for almost a century. 

90 year proud history

The history of Firth is part of the history of New Zealand. Firth's capability extends through the construction industry, roading & infrastructure, industrial and commercial projects to residential builds.

Industry leading

All of our products are formulated to meet strict NZ standards. Our engineers ensure Firth customers consistently receive delivery of the highest quality product that they can rely on. Our concrete products are tried and trusted so customers can be sure what we make, makes the grade. Always.

Our national, dependable brands include: Firth Certified Concrete®, Firth Masonry, Firth RibRaft® floors, Dricon® bagged concretes, mortars and sands.

Innovation that endures

From day one innovation has been at our core, but not at the expense of long lasting durability. In 1925, the 'original' Firth family with their entrepreneurial spirit created innovative concrete products that made life easier.

Today's wider Firth family still carries that same can-do spirit into today's market challenges. Our designers work alongside our engineers to ensure new designs will stand up to the rigors of time.

Kiwi Made

Like the people who manufacture them, our concrete ranges are all products of New Zealand. We employ 650 people spread across 70 plant sites throughout the country.

Firth's strength lies in its regional relationships delivering a quality service locally to loyal customers, every day.

At ArchiPro we recognise and acknowledge the existing, original and ancient connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the lands and waterways across the Australian continent. We pay our respects to the elders past and present. We commit to working together to build a prosperous and inclusive Australia.