Thousands of Brisbanites converged on the city’s CBD on 4 May for the opening of the new Inner Northern Busway, an underground bus station and tunnel that promises to reduce congestion and travel times.

After exhaustive tests, the designers chose the durability and good looks of Austral Bricks Terraçade lightweight façade system for the new King George Square Station.

“King George Square fronts City Hall so there were a whole raft of considerations about the location and style of the station and its entrances, as well as the image that Queensland Transport and TransLink wanted it to portray,” says Phil Tait, Bligh Voller Nield’s project director and a board member of the Inner Northern Busway Alliance.

About half of an eight-storey underground car park was hollowed out to form the bus station and tunnel entrances. Because it was subterranean, the designers were keen to use a walling material that spoke of the earth. But it also had to be durable, look great and resist staining, grime and graffiti. “We wanted to use natural materials, that was really important,” Tait considers. “Having materials that don’t require finishing and painting all the time is more environmentally sustainable.”

They reviewed a wide range of products, including several European systems similar to Terraçade, before shortlisting the Australian product and subjecting it to extreme tests to ensure it could resist soiling and graffiti.

Terraçade’s terracotta body is naturally resistant to staining and easy to clean, making it ideal for building facades. However the extreme vulnerability of this location required stain resistance to be taken to a much higher level with the application of Dry-Treat, an Australian-developed impregnating sealer. Test panels were smeared with axle grease and paint (spray and brush) and left to weather for a week. In front of a sceptical audience of Alliance members and Queensland Transport representatives, the tiles were quickly and successfully cleaned using conventional rather than proprietary cleaners.

“It surprised us and we were very impressed with the Dry-Treat product and continue to specify it,” says Phil Tait. The natural terracotta colour chosen reflects both the underground location and the heritage precinct, especially the deeper red bricks of the nearby Ann Street Methodist church.

This was the first full-scale Terraçade installation for Mo Sorbie and the team at Mo’s Roofing. The company specialises in roof and façade installations on commercial projects. “We’re all older fellas and we’re very much old school, very particular in what we do,” Mo tells us. Accurate set-out is the key to installation success.

His team used laser levels and developed a measuring rod to ensure consistent measurements without cumulative errors. “A good subcontractor makes all the difference. Mo from Mo’s Roofing was good subbie, very helpful,” Tait praises. “It didn’t seem to be a particularly long process. Once the guys got going, it seemed to happen pretty fast.” Wall-mounted display and advertising boards were sized to the Terraçade module wherever possible, to reduce cutting. Where this wasn’t practical, for example at sub-station doors, colour-matched aluminium infill strips were used. “The secret to detailing Terraçade is to respect the module and try and keep to full size tiles rather than having to cut them,” Tait considers.

“But even when we did have to cut, it was fine, it seemed to handle the cutting quite well.” Pearl grey powdercoated trims completed the installation. The end result has been pleasing all round: for the Alliance members, the Queensland Government and consumers. “It’s a great product, fantastic,” says Mo Sorbie enthusiastically. “It’s natural, sustainable and low maintenance. It blows me away every time I see it.” Phil Tait agrees. “It looks pretty sharp. We’re very pleased. This is the first time we have used Terraçade, but in the right location and context, we will certainly use it again.”

• “Having materials that don’t require finishing and painting all the time is more environmentally sustainable.”

• “It surprised us and we were very impressed with the Dry-Treat product and continue to specify it,”

• “It’s a great product, fantastic,”