With 276 apartments over three tower blocks, Te Mātāwai Greys Ave is New Zealand’s largest public housing development to date. To help keep floors clean and safe from slips, architects MODE Design specified ExtraTread entrance matting from Advance Flooring.

A Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities project, Te Mātāwai is mixed use, incorporating commercial spaces, Kāinga Ora offices and a social services agency at ground floor. Residents can interact with wrap-around services that are grounded in community, within an environment that tells stories of the land and the people through design.

‘The design narrative centres on the flow of water and the role it plays in the mauri or life force of people,’ MODE Design’s Daniel Chan explains. The main entrance lobby’s undulating timber ceiling recalls waves on a river, while a shell aggregate in the flooring alludes to the riverbed.

Lifemark® standards and accessibility

With accessibility a key concern – around 60 per cent of units are designed to achieve Lifemark ratings – the recessed ExtraTread entrance matting proved ideal for the main entranceways.

‘The Advance entrance matting sits between the concrete pavers outside and the honed concrete floor inside,’ notes Daniel. ‘ExtraTread offers a level and low-profile threshold to keep the interior clean, dry and safe.’

Low-profile, robust aluminium

ExtraTread combines a slimline aluminium frame with extra-wide absorbent polyamide inserts that provide 37 per cent more water absorption than comparable entrance mats.

Recessed into the floor, its stylish ultra-low design reduces slip hazards, keeping Te Mātāwai’s entranceways safe for all its residents, including wheelchair users, while connecting unobtrusively with the building’s design.

‘The grey inserts and natural aluminium sit quietly within this neutral grey palette, as a backdrop to the architectural features, spaces and artworks,’ says Daniel. With artworks from Katz Maihi, Hana Maihi and Beronia Scott notable across the formal entrance and courtyard at Te Mātāwai, ExtraTread contributes to the forward-looking vision from Kāinga Ora to create a vibrant urban village.

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PROJECT CREDITS

Product: ExtraTread Entrance Matting

Architect: MODE Design

Builder: Icon Group

Photographer: Mark Scowen

Writer: Folio