“We’re innovating and challenging the rest of the industry to think more like us, and they’re definitely starting to now,” says Patrick Kendrick, Business Development Manager at Belcanto.

Auckland-based Belcanto is bringing two decades of aluminium construction expertise to a range of new products and processes which, Patrick says, are helping New Zealand to build safely, efficiently and beautifully. “Belcanto is a spin-off from our sister company, Urban Group, which has been in the aluminium works side of the construction industry for 20 years, mainly around fencing, balustrades and automatic gates. In 2019, Belcanto was formed in response to some technology we gained access to involving modular balconies.

Belcanto is already an established leader in the balustrade space, notably with its Attaché Range which they have implemented in a number of projects around New Zealand. “Balustrades are still very much our bread and butter, having been used in high-profile projects like 59 France Street, which won the Property Council’s Excellence Award for Multi-Unit Residential Property last year. We’ve also developed some really good digital and BIM tools to support those products in the market; we’re the only ones who have really invested in this.”

As Belcanto continues to evolve with the industry’s changing needs, Patrick says they’re increasingly focused on the growth of their Grappler Balconies line, “The technology for these products originally came out of the UK, but we have since adapted it for New Zealand building conditions. It’s a fast and efficient way of building balconies which replaces traditional concrete and enables all of the construction to be done off-site. This means big delivery gains for both the client and the lead contractor.”

The lightweight and modular Grappler balconies are very different from what the industry has been using previously, Patrick says, with patented connection technology that offers single-supplier cantilever, post-supported or hook-on balcony solutions in a fraction of the time and with considerably less operational complexity. “Historically, you might have had 8-12 trades involved in the building of concrete balconies, none of which are required to be on the critical pathway when you use a Grappler design. Because these are pre-fabricated, we can avoid many building site variables, eliminate scaffolding requirements and significantly reduce the number of people being managed on-site.”

The result is highly customised and individual balcony solutions which can be installed in just 2-4 days. The real-world implications of this increased efficiency, Patrick says, can be game-changing. “A great example of this was the Gulf Rise Metlifecare project in Red Beach, Auckland. These 3-storey retirement units were being constructed during the height of the COVID lockdown period, with all of its associated delivery, material and resource delays. Despite a number of setbacks to the overall build programme, they were able to deliver it effectively because of our Grappler system. Had they opted for a traditional concrete balcony option, there’s no way they would have been able to deliver on time.”

Belcanto used its early Grappler projects as proof of concept for compliance, Patrick says, and in doing so they have compiled all the evidence they need to forge ahead at speed. “There wasn’t anything in the historical building code that applied to this method of construction, so we really had to create these compliance pathways. The most unique challenge was around vertical fire spread which required robust testing that we did in consultation with Auckland Council. Over 2 years and 3 rounds of testing on our unitised balcony system, we have been able to exceed all expectations and give our clients that added level of comfort that compliance will be achieved.

Looking ahead, Patrick is eager to continue expanding on the good work that Belcanto has done over the last few years. “We’ve got a good pipeline now for next year and the year or two beyond that. There’s been a big government push for more social housing and we’re a part of that programme in terms of some of the projects we’re involved in currently. We’re also looking for opportunities to expand into Australia. There’s definitely an appetite there for what we can offer, but with that comes another added layer of compliance for us to navigate. We’re hopeful to see some movement on that as early as mid-2023. In the meantime, we continue to be active in the aged care, Social housing and private development space, building on the momentum from our early projects. As more New Zealanders retire, there will more and more opportunities for us to help create safe and beautiful spaces for them to enjoy.

“It can be a long journey to see buildings come to fruition, and the icing on the cake is seeing our products actually being installed on site. With every one, we can feel the momentum building, and with every new client we have the opportunity to prove that we can provide an outside-of-the-box solution for their particular industry.”

To learn more and connect with Patrick, visit https://belcanto.co.nz/ and follow Belcanto on LinkedIn.