The inexorable movement of suburban development meant that the old Kuraby Hotel in south suburbanBrisbane was no longer viable, sitting in the middle of a large, increasing valuable parcel of land.

Stage 1 in the redevelopment of the site was the construction of a new hotel, a single level structure covering over 2000 square metres, and including a family bistro and bottleshop, as well as extensive car parking.

The hotel structure uses steel posts and rafters clad with block infill panels and corrugated steel. Panels of Austral Bricks Terraçade terracotta façade tiles add colour and a strong visual aesthetic to the exterior.

Loucas Zahos director Con Zahos saw similar systems to Terraçade in Berlin and decided to apply it locally when he found the system was available in Australia. This is Loucas Zahos’s second Terraçade project, the first being an Adelaide shopping centre.

Terraçade is engineered to act as a rain screen and ventilated façade system. The system has been tested to AS/NZS 4284 for water penetration and structural integrity and to AS 4040.3 for resistance to wind pressures for cyclone regions. Tiles are captured and supported on rails fastened to the underlying structure.

“The strong terracotta colour generated the colour scheme for a lot of the building,” says project architect George Hazell. “So we have used coloured concrete in a similar colour, and in the main bar illuminated panels, and even in logos and branding for the hotel.” Soon after the new hotel was opened, the old one was demolished to make way for Stage Two: a 7400 square metre homemaker centre.

Structurally Homemaker HQ is identical to the hotel, but on a much larger scale. It describes a horseshoe shape, with parking within the curve. The same material and colour palette was applied to the centre, with large panels of Terraçade adding colour and distinction to the walls flanking the car parking.

Because Terraçade tiles are made from kiln fired terracotta, the colours are permanent. Additionally every tile is further protected with Terrashield, a factory applied surface treatment that allows the easy removal of stains, spills and grime. With normal maintenance, Terrashield-protected tiles can be expected to have similar wear characteristics and last as long as ceramic glazed tiles.

Thanks to the revitalised hotel and the new homemaker centre, which has attracted Fantastic Furniture and Beacon Lighting as anchor tenants, the site has become a successful commercial precinct.

Will Loucas Zahos use Terraçade a third time? “It’s affordable with the right size project,” George Hazell considers. “And Terraçade is effective architecturally, either as a feature or in large areas.”

• “The strong terracotta colour generated the colour scheme for a lot of the building,”

• “It’s affordable with the right size project,”

• “So we have used coloured concrete in a similar colour, and in the main bar illuminated panels, and even in logos and branding for the hotel.”