Large-format louvre performance being proven on live construction across Australia.
Three major projects. Three leading architectural practices. Three distinct performance challenges.
SJ Espacer is currently being manufactured and installed on some of Australia’s most technically demanding facades, from heritage adaptive reuse to 6 Star Green Star institutional buildings to elite athlete training facilities.
These projects represent just a sample of the work underway with SJ Espacer across commercial, institutional, and community sectors. Here’s how the system is addressing real facade challenges right now.
Project 1: Canva — Global Headquarters, Surry Hills (NSW)
Cox Architecture | Adaptive reuse | Completion 2027
The Project
Canva’s new Global Headquarters in Surry Hills represents one of Australia’s most ambitious adaptive reuse projects. This $56M transformation of a 1970s office building is setting a benchmark for sustainable workplace design:
- 100% renewable energy
- Heritage facade preserved
- Green Star performance outcomes
- 95% material reuse and recycling
Located in dense urban Surry Hills near Central Station, the building needed to balance natural ventilation and thermal comfort with acoustic control in a high-noise environment, all while supporting Canva’s “do more with less” philosophy and wellness-focused workplace culture.
The Facade Challenge
When a heritage building meets modern sustainability targets, every opening has to work harder. The facade required:
- Natural ventilation through limited penetrations
- Acoustic control in a high-noise urban location
- Sealed envelope performance for energy efficiency
- Material choices aligned with embodied carbon reduction targets
SJ Espacer’s Contribution
- 0.03 L/s·m² air infiltration — Supporting the sealed envelope strategy critical to achieving renewable energy targets
- 70° blade opening — Maximizing natural ventilation performance through limited facade penetrations
- Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium — Aligning with Canva’s sustainability philosophy and embodied carbon reduction goals
- Verified acoustic performance — enabling openable facades without compromising acoustic control
Project 2: Curtin University — B316 Sciences Building (WA)
Grimshaw | 6 Star Green Star target | Completion 2027
The Project
Curtin University’s new B316 Sciences Building is pursuing World Leadership in sustainability, targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating, the highest level of certification available.
This $200M facility for the WA School of Mines and the John de Laeter Centre features:
- 850kW solar capacity — largely self-sufficient from renewable energy
- “Science on Display” — highly transparent glazed facade (70% glass)
- Advanced dry labs and PC2 labs to international standards
- Low-impact materials throughout
- Preservation of existing green canopy and biodiversity
The building required a highly transparent glazed facade to promote visual connectivity while managing ventilation, thermal loads, and acoustic control across multiple laboratory and teaching environments.
The Facade Challenge
When 70% of your facade is glass, the 30% that ventilates has to perform at an elite level. The team needed:
- Thermal performance competitive with fixed glazing
- Sealed envelope integrity for energy efficiency
- Large-format spans maintaining the transparent aesthetic
- Verified performance supporting 6 Star Green Star certification
SJ Espacer’s Contribution
- Uw ≤ 2.5 W/m²K thermal transmittance — Competitive with fixed glazing, supporting the building’s energy performance targets
- 0.03 L/s·m² air infiltration — Supporting the sealed envelope critical to achieving renewable energy self-sufficiency
- 235mm blade centres — Providing cleaner sightlines for the “Science on Display” architectural aesthetic
- Tested 1800 mm spans — Achieving the transparency and scale the design required while maintaining verified performance
- Local manufacturing — Supporting programme certainty and quality control across a technically demanding build
Project 3: St George Illawarra Dragons — Community High Performance Centre (NSW)
Populous | UOW Innovation Campus | Completion 2026
The Project
The St George Illawarra Dragons’ new Community and High Performance Centre at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus is designed to take NRL and NRLW athletes to new heights.
This world-class facility consolidates the Dragons’ operations under one roof and includes:
- Advanced strength and conditioning spaces
- Sports science testing facilities
- Hot-and-cold aquatic recovery zones
- Altitude training chambers
- Equitable male and female player facilities
- Community program spaces
The brief demanded gender-equitable facilities that could handle high internal activity levels while maintaining thermal and acoustic control and delivering a strong architectural identity incorporating Connection to Country principles.
The Facade Challenge
Mixed-use spaces housing high-intensity training, recovery, community programs, and education functions require careful zoning and airflow management. The facade needed to:
- Deliver large volumes of natural ventilation to high-intensity training and conditioning spaces
- Provide acoustic separation between training zones, recovery areas, and community spaces
- Maintain energy performance across diverse functional requirements
- Support the architectural expression and Connection to Country design language
SJ Espacer’s Contribution
- Large-format louvre sizes — Delivering substantial air volumes into mixed-use spaces where high-intensity training demands maximum natural ventilation
- Verified acoustic performance — A deciding factor in meeting acoustic separation requirements between training zones, recovery spaces, and adjacent community areas
- Energy performance — Thermal control and air infiltration of 0.03 L/s·m² were critical deciding factors in managing diverse environmental requirements across the facility
- 70° opening angle — Maximum aperture when natural ventilation is needed for training and conditioning spaces
- Customizable anodised finishes — Supporting the architectural expression, branding opportunities, and Connection to Country design language
Beyond These Three Projects
SJ Espacer is being specified across a growing range of commercial, institutional, and community projects where design teams are seeking verified performance, local manufacturing certainty, and design freedom without compromise.
These three projects — Canva HQ, Curtin B316, and the Dragons Community High Performance Centre — represent just a sample of the work currently underway.
Whether the challenge is acoustic control, thermal performance, air infiltration, sustainability credentials, or architectural expression, SJ Espacer is delivering measurable performance on major Australian builds.
If you’re working through a complex facade decision, our technical team can assist with performance documentation, specification support, and project-specific guidance.
