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Award-Winning Gallery Uses Wolfin Membrane

1An art gallery that was recently awarded Project of the Year at the 2014 Master Builders and Cbus Excellence in Building Awards used Wolfin membrane to waterproof the building. The Garangula Gallery, designed by architectural team FKM, won both the Project of the Year prize and major award in the Commercial Buildings category. It also won the 2014 Public Design Award at the Australian Interior Design Awards in 2014. Wolfin products were used in a range of areas, including the terrace, the open plant decks on the roof, and the service pipes in the basement.

The Garangula Gallery

Located in Harden, in rural NSW near Canberra, the Gallery was built by Manteena Constructions and used to fit a broad collection of indigenous art. The property is also used for large functions.

The judges at the 2014 Master Builders and Cbus Excellence in Building Awards made a note of commenting on the collaborative vision and historical reference of the Garangula Gallery.

John Miller, the Executive Director of Master Builders ACT, noted that the project had been the fruition of work by world-renowned Australian architects, and award-winning Canberra builders.

FKM incorporated recycled materials into the construction of the site in order to create a narrative that would harmonise with the Aboriginal art to be housed in Gallery. The features and spaces that incorporated recycled materials that were used include stone walls, a timber bridge, reflective pools, rammed earth, operable weathered steel screens, and a sculpture courtyard.

As part of the Garangula Gallery’s sustainability focus, FKM also made use of supply and recycling dams with flow limitation, LED lighting, and low VOC paints.

The architecture and design team

2Sydney-based Fender Katsalidis Mirams Architects worked with There, a branding and marketing consultancy, to develop a theme for the environment through a process known as placemaking. There assisted with the design for the external façade to create an innovative and contemporary theme the building’s external area.

Judge’s comments

The judging panel at the 2014 Australian Interior Design Awards noted that the design of the interior reflected restraint and a “considered manipulation of scale, material, and texture.” FKM incorporated both natural and artificial light in an “exemplary” manner, by using decorative screens that filter light and views. The lighting in entry and periphery spaces was deliberately softened by design to place focus on the more tightly controlled display zones.
Entrances and apertures were used to create “long axial views” in the interior of the gallery, and this created an “intimate” experience with the displays through a sequence of alcoves and galleries. The spaces gave rise to a sense of intimacy and connection, yet the gallery retained an atmosphere of warmth and tactility.

Wolfin Membranes

3Wolfin is a polyester PVC membrane used for waterproofing. Manufactured in Germany, this premium membrane is UV stable and has a long history of usage in Australia (and in other parts of the world). Applications include roofs, planter boxes, decks, podium slabs, balconies, gutters, water tanks, and substrates.

Wolfin-membrane products include Wolfin IB, a standard general purpose waterproofing membrane suitable for roofing and liquid containment. Wolfinsteel, on the other hand, features galvanised steel with a thick layer of Wolfin factory bonded, and this product is suitable for termination and intermediate fixings.

Wolfin GWSK is a bonded membrane with bitumen adhesive backing, and these are used in horizontal works in various construction projects. The Wolfin line also includes Wolfin Corners, which are pre-formed internal and external corners with membrane welded into the corners. Finally, there is the Wolfinator, which is a structural grade adhesive that is used to bond Wolfinsteel to non-absorbent substrates.

Select Waterproofing carried out the Garangula Gallery Wolfin-membrane application. The membranes were applied to basement tanking, podium, terraces, and roof.

The Projex Mission is to source and supply technically excellent products to meet the needs of owners, designers, insurers and operators of buildings and structures for specialist protection against water, industrial liquids, impact and corrosion risks.