product focus: nordic ice collection

natural stone collection

In his role as Business Development Manager – Commercial (QLD), Brak Sheehy works closely with leading commercial builders and developers, particularly on the Gold Coast and Broadbeach high end markets.

One of the most significant projects that National Tiles has worked on over the last few years is 31 Broadbeach. These architecturally designed residences were the vision of two of Australia’s most influential design studios, Woods Bagot Architects and Carr Design. They collaborated on 31 Broadbeach to deliver a new benchmark in residential property design.

Brak had established a strong association with McNab, a renowned builder in Qld who was charged with bringing 31 Broadbeach to life. He was given a brief for National Tiles to supply tiles for the luxury beachfront apartment complex. The goal for the sophisticated design of the boutique 20-storey residential tower was to create a distinctive presence on the Gold Coast beach skyline. Each of the 22 residences were carefully designed to optimise its unique coastal position. An expansive ground floor beach house, 14 full floor apartments, six half-floor apartments and an unrivalled double-storey penthouse were all expertly designed to maximise ocean views and provide residences with an airy and inviting private beachfront retreat.

Working closely with Camron Whittaker, National Tiles Head of Product and Procurement, and Nick Murray (National Tiles Commercial Account Manager), Brak put forward a submission based on the Nordic Ice collection of natural stone. He was awarded the project, with National Tiles engaged to supply 4,500m2 of 610 x 610mm honed tiles that would be featured on the floors and walls throughout each apartments.

To ensure the best possible result for such a massive high-end project, Camron travelled to Turkey to personally source and select each piece to ensure consistent quality, colour and tone. Brak explains, “The key to meeting the brief from the architect and builder was for us to achieve a perfect level of consistency throughout the whole build. Cam arranged for around 15 pieces of Nordic Ice to be sent to McNab from Turkey so they could select the pieces that were ideal for the project. They signed off on six pieces, approving the colour, texture and tone.”

With a clear understanding of the look the architect and builder wanted to achieve, Cam then went back to Turkey to work closely with the supplier and carefully select the blocks of stone that would perfectly match the six pieces that had been selected. As a result of this attention to detail, the supplier had 4,500m2 of stone cut and honed to size and delivered to 31 Broadbeach in full and on time. Says Brak, “The whole project took around 18 months, and the apartment complex was officially opened in March this year. It was a real privilege to be involved in such an iconic build that has set the standard for Broadbeach.”

The Nordic range was also featured in a project for Hutchinson Builders and developer Andrews Projects, with a colour variance called Nordic Ice which has a slightly darker tone. The brief for the major multi-residential project, also in Broadbeach, was for National Tiles to source the key tile for the project. Brak presented a 900 x 300 version of the Nordic Grey range to the builder and developer, and this was used in the common areas of the apartment complex. The Nordic Grey was complemented by a tile very similar to the Burlington Stone Nube tile, which was featured in every apartment - in each bathroom, on the floors throughout and on the balconies.