Kangaroo Point & Shoreline Queens Beach, Brisbane

Contemporary new designs, sizes and colours have brought breeze blocks back into fashion, and the appeal isn’t only pleasing to the eye. The shading, ventilation, light and privacy aspects brought by breeze blocks combine with a decreased carbon footprint to offer sustainability values that can make a real difference to environmental certifications.

Unsurprisingly, architects, builders and clients alike have started specifying breeze blocks for a growing range of indoor and outdoor applications, but last-minute engineering compromises their visual appeal.

Leviat’s Ancon Windposts and reinforcement systems ensure design and structural integrity. Two high-profile developments in Queensland, Kangaroo Point and Shoreline Queens Beach, recently installed them, showcasing their efficiency and ease of installation.

Requirements

Kangaroo Point was a pilot project that involved a 12-storey residential tower where Brickworks Ltd’s Breeze Blocks represented a key facade feature. When the masonry contractor contacted Leviat, Breeze Blocks had been detailed in the structural drawings, but the client wasn’t happy with the large, conspicuous steel frameworks supporting them. The brief was to develop a solution that could keep the main fixings to the structure hidden from sight whilst providing tolerance and flexibility.

“The Leviat team were so receptive, flexible and innovative in helping create a solution that best worked for us, and we were grateful for the amount of adjustment that the system provided on site.” - IRP Masonry 

All these project-custom applications build on two key components:

Ancon WP4 Windposts

Ancon WP4 Windposts are customised to job requirements and allow for invisible installation between blockwork. They fit within the wall and can vary in thickness depending on load-bearing capacity. The SNS Wall Ties transfer loads from the blockwork to the post through vertical slots.

Ancon AMR & AMR-X Bed Joint Reinforcement

This ladder-type reinforcement system, made of 304 or 316 stainless steel, offers superior corrosion resistance and cost benefits. Leviat's AMR-X version enhances construction speed and build quality, with masonry reinforcement directly laid on the masonry. Specially shaped cross wires lift the reinforcement up, ensuring complete embedding in mortar.

Combining these two systems enabled the masonry contractors to create slimline breeze-block walls entirely in keeping with the architectural vision – and without compromising on structural integrity. 

Approach

Based on existing Leviat designs, a solution was developed in close cooperation with the client and masonry contractor to ensure a perfect fit at Kangaroo Point. But the finished system was so robust and versatile it soon went into production for another prestigious development, Shoreline Queens Beach and other projects in the Inner Northern Suburbs of Brisbane, for which the design was further developed and customised.

Outcome

The final results at Kangaroo Point were so successful that Brickworks Ltd. has created a design guide for the strengthening of architectural breeze block walls using these Leviat products. 

Cathy Inglis of Brickworks commented, “Leviat’s products tick all the boxes, both structurally and aesthetically – and the installation process is very efficient. When working with Breeze Blocks, they are a great solution.”

Need advice on your current project?
Contact us on 1300 304 320 or email info.au@leviat.com.