Aluminium composite panels from Alucobond Architectural for Eureka Skydeck 88 
Sitting a staggering 88 storeys above Melbourne, Eureka Skydeck 88 grants visitors a matchless 360 degree view of the Victorian capital. Yet the interior of the Southern Hemisphere's highest viewing platform, with its unique system of ceiling 'blades', offers a similarly striking view to those with an eye for architecture. Part of a design by Melbourne-based Maddison Architects, the eye-catching ceiling was constructed using aluminium composite panels from Alucobond Architectural. It was a project that quite literally took the Alucobond product to new heights. "Alucobond's unsurpassed finish and flatness, its dynamic range of colours and its exciting shapes provide the designer with almost unlimited freedom - and Skydeck 88 is a perfect illustration of what can be achieved with this freedom," said Bill Kerr, National Sales and Technical Manager, Alucobond Architectural. Taking its name from the famous Eureka Stockade, the Eureka Tower was billed as the world's tallest residential building when it officially opened in Melbourne's Southbank precinct in October 2006. Skydeck 88 was included in the design of the tower from the earliest stages, forming a large part of the $500 million project. Occupying the entire 88th floor of the tower, the Skydeck was constructed as a sky high tourist attraction with panoramic views of Melbourne's most famous sites. The two-and-a-half year project included a vertigo-unfriendly innovation called The Edge - a 2.1m high, 2.6m wide glass cube that projects outwards from the walls of the viewing platform, leaving its occupants suspended almost 300 metres above the ground. While the Skydeck's elevated position alone provided plenty of tourist pulling power, Maddison Architects were keen to enhance and inform the viewing spectacle through the architecture. "The main challenge was to create an environment which challenged the public's perceptions of space, balance and form. The Eureka Tower is the only observation tower in Australia that has explored the opportunities of architecture in accentuating the experience of visiting the tallest building in a capital city," said Peter Maddison, Principal, Maddison Architects. With plans for the Skydeck's distinctive blade ceiling drawn up, Maddison Architects approached Alucobond Architectural in 2006 to discuss the use of aluminium composite panels for the ceiling and interior walls of the viewing platform. "Skydeck 88 and the above function venue, Eureka 89, form a tourist destination that attracts something in the order of half a million visitors per annum. We were therefore attracted to products that were both extremely durable and maintenance free," said Maddison. Alucobond consists of two aluminium cover sheets and a core made of polyethylene. This simple but extremely versatile product concept is stable and yet flexible, has a smooth surface and is weather resistant, unbreakable, shock-resistant, vibration absorbent and easy to install. Kerr said Alucobond's resistance to colour variation proved particularly valuable in the Skydeck project, as the tower's internal facades had to withstand persistent exposure to the sun. The weight of the aluminium panels was seen as another selling point. "The lightweight qualities of the Alucobond panels substantially reduced the weight load of the ceiling blades, particularly when compared to other solid aluminium sheets on the market of equivalent thickness. The ease of fabrication using Alucobond also meant lower costs overall for the project," said Kerr. The Skydeck project specified 4 mm thick panels with a natural anodised finish on both sides, which were used as both an architectural feature and, in the case of the ceiling blades, to conceal overhead services, ducts and pipes. "Alucobond was used exclusively as an interior fitout material and tight tolerances were required due to the folding interior plains of the walls and ceilings. The joints in this material were also used in an angular fashion to accentuate the Skydeck's sense of vertigo," said Maddison. The angular blades were also designed to enhance the interactive aspect of the building, with synchronized lighting effects able to transform the ceiling to match the colour and pattern of the sky's appearance, from blue skies to white clouds to lightning and thunderstorms. Eureka Skydeck 88, lighting effects and all, opened to the public on 15 May 2007, later capturing the award for New Tourism Development at the 2007 Victorian Tourism Awards. The Eureka Tower and its viewing platform have become an architectural icon in the Melbourne skyline. And with Maddison Architects about to undertake further expansion to the ground level ticketing and interactive area, again utilising Alucobond materials, the success story is not over yet. 
For further information contact:
Alucobond Architectural
Address: 25 West Park Drive, Derrimut, VIC, 3030
Phone: 03 9394 3....
Fax: 03 9394 3....
Web: www.alucobond.com.au
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