At the end of the 2000s, the Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club was in a state of disrepair. The building — which sat on the dunes a stone’s throw away from the shore — had deteriorated rapidly in the two decades since construction, bearing the brunt of the harsh conditions that come with sitting so close to the South Pacific. By 2010, it was beyond repair.

Aside from the physical condition of the building, there was also the issue of its size and capacity. The old facility was built for a peak membership of 150, but with membership hitting 750, the space did not sufficiently support surf lifesaving and rescue activities.

In 2009, it was decided to demolish the existing structure and begin a new build. By 2014, the idea had taken hold, initial design concepts were produced to support initiation of funding processes and business cases. Construction was finally ready to begin in 2020.

Presented with a brief that called for a building to stand the test of time in the way that its predecessor did not, Jigsaw Architects’ Jason Benton says, “Concrete tilt panels were chosen for their physical strength in such a harsh environment and to provide a long-term low maintenance material, which is otherwise reliant on charitable funding for ongoing maintenance.”

It’s also a large building, and is sited in a delicate Special Ecological Area. To soften the potential for the new building to appear too brutalist in the stunning natural setting and to provide a textural relationship to the dunes, the exterior panels were cast with an off-the-form rough sawn vertical timber finish.

“We knew we needed to go further, both to enhance the appearance, and to provide additional protection against the environment and vandalism. We place a great deal of importance on suppliers that can provide us with a holistic service, from a breadth of product offering, and a whole of system perspectives, and technical expertise.”

To fulfil both technical and aesthetic requirements, Peter Fell, a market leader in decorative concrete products in New Zealand, came on board.

Peter Fell provided a colour oxide that enhanced the concrete rusticated panels in a way that helped the building assimilate into the beachside environment. Peter Fell protective sealers were also applied to surfaces to guard against the harsh seaside conditions, and to allow easy cleaning following potential bouts of graffiti.

Paul Dwight, Regional Manager at Peter Fell, says the company’s role in the build was a crucial factor in future-proofing the structure.

“In my meetings with Jigsaw Architects, Jason’s brief to me was to help provide a sustainable, long term, easy-maintenance building,” says Paul. “By doing that, he also wanted to fit into the environment without being dominant.”

The PFL Colour Bayferrox 330 Black oxide was selected to colour the panels to help “nestle” the building into the dunes — but also to enrich the look of the rusticated panels.

This finish was enhanced with the PFL C2 Salt Hard + to protect from salt chlorides from the nearby seaspray, and was finally finished with the PFL anti-graffiti product — offering the club an extremely low maintenance build.

“The primary focus was to ensure longevity in both form and function, and to create a good-looking exterior that would be as low maintenance as possible,” says Paul.

“The only maintenance required going forward would be in the case of graffiti, hence the anti-graffiti product — which, as it turned out, was a good call as it was absolutely slaughtered with graffiti within two days of the fences coming down.”

PFL C2 concrete system finishes were selected for all the external entries and internal floors as cost effective, functional, hard-wearing applications.

The brief called for a hue in the concrete that provided a depth of colour without being completely black. Peter Fell achieved this colour by mixing a relatively high proportion of oxide of 8% (10% is the saturation point).

“Since it was concrete with quite a high MPa, we had quite a bit of colour going in,” says Paul. “8% is quite a high dose rate, but it worked and it provided the right shade.

“The uniqueness of this project was getting the right amount of oxide to give the colour that was required, without trying to enhance it with sealers.”

In the end, the challenge of finding the right balance of oxide paid off and the finished building stands sleek and modern on the dunes of Papamoa Beach, with its exterior blending in and complementing the surrounding shrubbery and other natural features of the coast.

“Low maintenance was the primary objective from our side — but it doesn’t hurt that it looks lovely as well.”

Jason Benton confirms Paul and the team at Peter Fell were a great project partner to have on board:

“They assisted us right through, from understanding the colour impacts of various oxide options; which sealer systems were best suited, and backing that up with documentation and compliance support; and then they were on site with us when we needed them. We were also extremely grateful to Peter Fell’s support in recognising Surf Club projects are totally reliant on charitable funding. Their input has been instrumental in achieving such a fantastic outcome for the Papamoa Surf Club community.”

Discover Peter Fell's range of concrete colours and finishes. 

Words: Nick Forrester

Photography: Joel McDowell

Project credits:

• TBIG (Project Manager)
• Jigsaw Architects (Architects)
• WSP (Structural Engineer)
• Kirk Roberts (Civil Engineer)
• Momentum Planning and Design (Townplanner)
• Peter Fell (Concrete colour supplier)