BNZ Theatre

The 1300-seat theatre, designed by renowned architectural practice Jasmax, was a replacement for the city of Hamilton's previous arts and culture venue, the beloved Founders Theatre. Built with cutting-edge features, including high-end acoustic technology, this building was intended to revive local talent and encourage more travel through the region. It was also built to reconnect the urban landscape to the Waikato River, encouraging people to walk through the space and admire the natural beauty of the waterfront. 

This beautiful performance venue would not be complete without the necessary safety and accessibility details, and so Jasmax engaged Freedom Works to supply and install our specialised products. We concentrated our efforts on the stairs in the main foyer and the back of house stairs, drawing from our repertoire of safety details to ensure that user comfort and wellbeing would be prioritised at every step.  

For the back of house area, we installed our yellow polyurethane tactile indicators at the top and bottom of the staircases. These highly visible details are felt underfoot by people travelling through the space, helping to draw attention to the change in levels; this is useful for any user of the space, but especially so for visually impaired people who need tactile cues to warn them of danger in the environment.  

Next, we continued our accessibility and awareness detailing by installing stainless-steel handrail buttons along the staircases. These handrail buttons also warn users of level changes in staircases, providing an additional safety cue to prevent falls and accidents.  

Finally, to ensure safety while users travel up and down the stairs, we fitted our heavy-duty stair nosing over the steps. This stair nosing has an anodised aluminium base set with four strips of carborundum, an extremely durable and high-friction material that reduces the slipperiness of the stair face.  

For the internal foyer area, however, our priorities were slightly different. This wasn't just part of the building's transit routes; this resplendent area was a central gathering point, a spatial zone designed for visual elegance and comfort. We wanted to ensure that our products contributed to the overall aesthetic of the space, so we made a few strategic decisions.  

Firstly, the tactile indicators we used at the tops and bottoms of stairs were made of solid brass, creating an elegant, metallic pattern that complemented the cool tones of the staircase. Secondly, instead of using heavy stair nosing that covered the beautiful steps, we opted for solid brass stair inserts to improve slip resistance. Not only did these subtle lines accentuate the stair face, but they matched our tactile indicators, creating a coordinated visual effect across the space.  

Ultimately, the question we have to ask ourselves at the end of every project is: have we made this space safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable for the end users?  
Looking at the BNZ Theatre, we're proud to say that yes, we've made a positive difference. Our products have been used to enhance visibility, reduce slip risks and accidents, and upgrade accessibility. Not only have we accomplished that important core mission of keeping people safe, but we've also done it while supporting our client's design intent and visual brief. 
It feels good to be able to contribute to a project that means so much for the city of Hamilton. This is what keeps us in the game – at the end of the day, it's all about our people.