EXPRESS GLASS: PORTFOLIO: MNG WESTFIELD BONDI

The MNG project in Westfield Bondi Junction was all about big glass ... very big glass and in a hurry.

"In technical and logistical terms, our installation at MNG’s new Westfield Bondi Junction store was right up there," says Adrian Grocott, General Manager, Express Glass Major Projects Division. "The team worked intensely - sometimes in two shifts around the clock - to complete what is normally a four week job in just nine days," explains Adrian. "We secured some 300 sqm of glass, in 30 glass panels, each weighing 330kg and measuring 4.7 metres high by 2.4 metres wide," adds Adrian. The Major Projects team brought in a 10 tonne crane truck to carry and unload glass at street level and forklifts and crawler cranes to transport the glass through the centre and position it at MNG's store site.

The height of the glass panels puts them outside normal glazing standards and building code parameters. "They're certainly the biggest glass panels that we've placed and, as with any job of this nature, we brought in leading glazing engineer (Dr) Leon Jacob to measure the loadings and ensure that the work was structurally sound," adds Adrian. The project was also given close scrutiny by Westfield's construction management and passed with flying colours.

"Express was terrific under pressure, managing to deliver on time for such a big project," says Vasili Theodoridis, Built-rite Constructions, Australia (project managers for the store fit-out). "They have a very professional approach to handling glass and it was a pleasure to work with Adrian and the guys."

MNG is relatively new to our shores but is Spain's second biggest textile exporter and a major women's fashion label (known as ‘Mango’ in Spain). They employ some 5,200 people in more than 700 stores, across 73 countries and five continents.