Realm
South Australia
Sectors
Residential
Location
The Promontory Drive, Shell Cove, NSW
Date Completed
2024
Architect
Smart Design Studio, CO-AP,Mirvac Design
Builder
Parkview Constructions
Nautilus is a residential tower on The Promontory Drive at Shell Cove, delivered with architects Smart Design Studio, CO-AP and Mirvac Design, and builder Parkview Constructions. Completed in 2024, the building’s hero feature is a raking crescent-shaped façade with wide-set perimeter glazing panels, a form that required custom Performance Mock-Up testing in a NATA-certified Australian lab to confirm the system would remain watertight. Beyond the crescent façade, the building’s envelope includes typical punch windows, full height window systems and balcony systems throughout.
Challenges
The raking crescent facade and its wide-set perimeter glazing panels required custom Performance Mock-Up testing in a NATA-certified Australian lab to confirm the system would stay watertight under real conditions. Installation also needed to be sequenced behind large Glass Reinforced Concrete ladders, in coordination with another trade working the same area, adding a layer of programme complexity to an already technically demanding façade.
Strategy
Our strategy was to test the raked façade thoroughly before committing to installation, using custom Performance Mock-Up testing in a NATA-certified lab to confirm watertightness under the building’s specific geometry. We then sequenced installation around the large GRC ladders and the other trade working alongside us, so both could progress without delay. The remaining punch windows, full height systems and balcony systems were rolled out using standard, repeatable processes to keep the programme efficient.
The result was a raking, crescent-shaped façade that performed exactly as tested, delivered in coordination with multiple trades without compromising the building’s water performance.
