High-quality ducting impacts energy efficiency, comfort, fire safety, and lifecycle cost in commercial buildings. Learn what defines a performance ducting system and the standards to follow.
How to evaluate ducting partners beyond metal supply. A guide to assess technical support, documentation, testing, and on-site services for major HVAC projects.
Modern buildings change during construction. Learn how flexible ducting systems reduce risk, support fire safety changes, and improve installation speed.
Christchurch, New Zealand We were honoured to provide the precision-engineered ductwork solutions for Te Kaha, a landmark multi-use arena designed to revitalise Christchurch’s sporting and cultural heart. Our systems support the complex HVAC infrastructure required for a venue that accommodates tens of thousands of spectators, while meeting stringent expectations around natural ventilation, indoor air quality and resilience. By integrating our high-performance air-ducting within a mechanically-efficient, future-focused building envelope, our contribution helps deliver a world-class facility that stands for durability, sustainability and community pride.
Auckland, New Zealand We were pleased to supply the air-ducting systems for the new headquarters-style facility of Orams Marine in Auckland. Located in the heart of the marine precinct, this advanced multi‐storey building complements the company’s world-class superyacht refit yard and mixed-use marine village, featuring open offices, workshops and service zones designed to support high-value marine activity. Our precision-engineered ductwork helps deliver high‐quality indoor air across varied areas—from office floors to workshop bays—while aligning with the site’s robust industrial needs and high-performance building goals.
Auckland, New Zealand We were proud to supply the air-ducting systems for Fonterra Co-operative Group’s new global headquarters in Auckland. This seven-storey, 16,000 m² building consolidates staff from multiple sites into a high-performance workplace defined by open floor plates, a central atrium and world-class sustainability features. With fully electric heating, rainwater harvesting, a high-efficiency thermal envelope and an advanced ventilation strategy, our ductwork plays a key role in achieving the building’s 5-Green Star base-build rating and readying it for even higher targets. By integrating our precision-manufactured duct systems seamlessly into the fit-out and services architecture, we supported the building’s flexible activity-based work zones and the company’s ambition for a future-proof, low-carbon and people-centric headquarters.
Auckland, New Zealand Express Sheetmetals was proud to supply the air-ducting systems for Fisher & Paykal’s new global headquarters — a landmark development that brings together the company’s people, innovation, and production under one roof. Designed for collaboration and sustainability, the building combines open, flexible workspaces with advanced mechanical systems to ensure a healthy and efficient environment. Our precision-engineered ducting supports the complex airflow requirements across office, research, and production areas, contributing to the project’s high-performance, low-carbon objectives and helping create a workplace that truly reflects Fisher & Paykal’s forward-thinking ethos.
The chic and modern addition to the University of Auckland, B507 Park West Development - Grafton campus, boasts a value of $100m+, spans 19,500m², and has five occupied levels and includes a carpark, acoustic booths, teaching spaces, clinics and offices. Express was subcontracted to Numecon Contracting to deliver the job within a tight timeframe, beginning in October 2018 and going through to February 2020. “Establishing consistent and clear communications has ensured all aspects of this job were completed with minimum fuss and maximum accuracy. The job was modelled and provided in Revit 3D and which enabled a simple and accurate translation to manufacturing requirements. This and the timely release of high-quality mechanical drawings from Numecon via Aconnex really improved the ability to plan and manufacture this project in support of the site program and ensure manufacturing was completed accurately - first time - to very high standards”, Mike Arcari – Director Production, Express Sheetmetals. Numecon notes that Express excels in responding to site demands in a timely manner, their QA and quality of install are top notch, and their can-do attitude is greatly appreciated. According to Paul O’Callaghan, Director of Numecon Contracting, Express takes the initiative to use innovative technology that significantly improves accuracy and therefore efficiency. “It was a relatively simple space-restricted project, but it had to be done fast, and the accuracy had to be there”, explains Paul. On Express, Paul had this to say, “They are a good company. They have good systems and good people.” On their relationship, “It’s construction. You’re in people's faces. You’re building things. You’re under pressure to deliver. But at the end of the day, they have the right people.” “I liken it to an old Māori proverb that goes like this: ‘He aha te mea nui o tea o? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. It translates to: ‘It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.’ And this explains Express Sheetmetals to a tee”, Paul finishes. “Working in an environment where there was fantastic alignment and communication between the head contractor, the Numecon team, and ourselves has made this project a pleasure to complete. With stability in the build program, completeness of design and very strong on-site management of the mechanical aspects of the project, we were able to place additional emphasis on quality to ensure we met the very highest of customer expectations” , Sander Dales – Director Operations.
Elegant, spacious, luxury living at its best; Waterford Retirement Village crossed the spectrum of the HVAC industry, bringing a variety of HVAC elements into one complex. This stunning project in Hobsonville Point, completed in October 2019, is looked upon as a village within a village; whether independent or community living is desired, it’s got something for everyone. Comprising 30+ apartments and a community lodge with a restaurant/café, bar, wellness centre, private theatre and library, and a heated swimming pool & spa and gym complex, Waterford certainly delivers. Each apartment has a standalone ventilation and air conditioning system, and all common areas are fully ventilated and air conditioned using a highly energy-efficient Mitsubishi Electric VRF air conditioning system. The swimming pool area is also fully ventilated with exposed ducting and heated with space radiant wall-mounted hot water heaters in addition to the underfloor heating. The Basement carpark is fully ventilated with a mechanical extract system to add to the mix. According to Grant Brosnan, Project Manager for Air Mark Services Ltd (Mechanical Contractor), “There was a lot of diversity and different aspects to this job. It was like a whole lot of jobs intermingled into one project; roof work, louvres on outside walls, fully welded kitchen extracts, and exposed pool ducting, etc.” “The major benefit of using Express Sheetmetals on a job of this nature is the two facets of their business: supply and manufacture of ductwork and the installation.” The convenience of the full service is what sets Express Sheetmetals apart, as is one of the biggest in Auckland, providing both product and installation. “It really takes the workload and pressure off us, and is part of what makes Express Sheetmetals a good go-to company.” Grant credits Express Sheetmetals for taking constructive criticism, sorting out any issues swiftly, and their direct communication. “Sander is very good at smoothing over any issues if there are any. To be fair, over the whole project, we never had a major one”, he explains. “Successful completion of this project came down to a comprehensive joint team effort between Air Mark Services Ltd and Express Sheetmetals, as we worked through a significant number of emerging architectural details and requirements throughout the project duration. That kind of teamwork highlights the value of a close partnership, and means all parties can share their best ideas and experiences when working through construction challenges on the project” , Sander Dales – Director Operations, Express Sheetmetals. This project is similar to another retirement village Express completed for Air Mark Services Ltd, a few years ago, Greenwich Gardens – a similar project but at scale, with over 250 apartments. “I must say Express put into their machinery and development of their products the most than any other company I know; money, time and quality. Most of their machinery comes from Switzerland, and the quality of their ducting and so forth is probably one of the best that I have seen in my career. We have used thousands of their particular rubber seal products that alleviate the need to apply duct sealant around the duct. Very impressive”, closes Grant.
The multi-million dollar, 17-hectare design and build for the Wiri Prison in South Auckland was an example of a project that combined sheer scale and significant complexity. With 9 different subcontractor companies on that job, effective collaboration was key to the efficient onsite operation. The melding of trades from electrical, ductwork, commissioning, pipework, air conditioning and more meant a concerted team effort was required. Fletcher Construction was the prime contractor on the job, with Aquaheat NZ Ltd providing the building maintenance services. According to the Aquaheat Management Team, "The design was all low storey and rather straightforward. The challenge was the scale; that amount of buildings ail happening at the same time plus the size of the site." There were 32 buildings in total, of which a round half a dozen were small in the ductwork context. At least 20 buildings housed significant ductwork; 3 big house blacks (each 2 storey with over 900 cells each), residents' buildings, which were all low security, kitchen and laundry (a lot of ductwork within), and health, education and administration buildings were also huge buildings containing large volumes of ductwork. Express Sheetmetals did the manufacture and installation on the Wiri Prison job and had at least a 30-strong team working onsite. This showcased their ability to deliver on sizable-scale projects efficiently and with professionalism. Express Sheetmetals are very passionate about what they do!" exclaims David Houghton, Project Manager, Aquaheat NZ Ltd, when asked about Express Sheetmetals and the service they provide. "The word "passion" definitely comes to mind. It's the way they are, and because of that, they do a really good job."
