The New Zealand 
International 
Convention Centre 

Our team first engaged with the project at the start of 2016, back in the initial phases of design. Within a year, we came onsite to install our safety and accessibility details at key junctions around the space. Unfortunately, the construction efforts went through a serious setback when a fire broke out on the roof of the building in 2019. Between the fire and the water damage caused by fire-fighting efforts, much of the site was seriously compromised, and Freedom Works was called back to reinstall many of our products – just as Covid-19 began to sweep across the nation, disrupting construction again and creating a tremendously challenging working environment.

Now, over a decade after we first began working on the project, the NZICC is officially complete. Freedom Works successfully delivered a comprehensive suite of safety and accessibility detailing across the whole site, covering everything from high-traffic public zones to back-of-house corridors to the basement carpark area.

Creating safe and accessible staircases 
The NZICC building spans several levels, including an upper area with a theatre and meeting rooms, and a lower area with an extensive exhibition space. These levels are connected by several staircases. Given the large volumes of crowds expected to move through the building on a regular basis, it was imperative to take a considered approach to staircase design, proactively managing risks, improving accessibility, and planning for the longevity of the architecture.  

In response, Freedom Works upgraded the staircases by installing specialised safety and accessibility details, including tactile indicators for accessibility and navigation, stair inserts for visual enhancement and slip resistance, and stair nosing for accident prevention and staircase protection.  

For the interior feature stairs, we used stair inserts of solid brass. These elegant metallic accents helped make a focal point out of the staircase while also reducing slipperiness and mitigating the risk of accidents. Then, at the top and bottom of the staircase, we installed solid brass tactile indicator studs. These tactile indicators provide an important navigational cue, telling people when they’re approaching or leaving the staircase – an invaluable accessibility aid for visually impaired people. By matching the brass tactiles to the brass stair inserts, we helped create a consistent visual theme that elevated the interior environment.  

For other zones within the NZICC, we shifted the focus from the elegant metallic visuals and placed the priority on heavy-duty functionality. For the landscape stairs, we used hardwearing stainless steel tactile indicators with bright yellow carborundum centres that provide additional visual warnings of impending hazards. Moving to the carpeted auditorium stairs and the fire egress stairs, we installed sturdy aluminium stair nosing with strips of carborundum, an extremely durable and slip-resistant material. Not only do these elements drastically cut down on slip risks, but they also protect the staircase from damage over time. At the fire egress stairs, we also installed polyurethane tactile indicator tiles which are designed for adhesive fixing, making them quick and easy to install.  

Traffic Management and Accident Prevention 
Down in the basement of the NZICC is a large-scale carpark. Now, in any events venue, a fair bit of commotion and confusion is expected. For an extremely busy international space that hosts world-class events, there’s an even higher likelihood of distracted drivers and pedestrians. The best way to manage these risks is to proactively control the car park environment through strategic traffic management design – and that’s where Freedom Works contributed our expertise.  

We used a combination of bollards, wheel stops, and speed humps to control the flow of traffic, reduce vehicle speeds, and curtail vehicle movement, preventing encroachment onto pedestrian zones. We also installed brightly coloured wall protection around the space, as well as using stainless steel corner guards in the back of house corridors. These traffic management products ensure that drivers will be more aware of their surroundings, empowering them to make better choices; at the same time, our products also act as safety nets to minimise the impact of an accident.  

Custom solutions 
This complex space often posed architectural challenges which couldn’t be solved by off-the-shelf solutions. Accordingly, Freedom Works collaborated with our clients and their contractors to create bespoke solutions that fulfilled the building’s unique specifications. For example, we developed handmade templates for our exterior tactiles and created curved tactile pads that fit perfectly on site. We delivered bollards and corner guards of custom size and shape. We adapted our offerings to meet the actual needs of the environment, ensuring that our products will function to the highest level over time.  

Today, the NZICC stands proudly as a world-class venue that can host thousands of people, supporting Auckland’s status as an attractive international city. However, for Freedom Works, the project will always be about something more. It’s about all the years we spent on this project, getting to know the site intimately; it’s about all the relationships our team built over the decade, and the faces that became familiar to us. We’re proud to have seen this one to completion – not just proud of our own work, but of every partner and collaborator who went through the journey with us.