McLaren Stainless Steel

First impressions, efficiencies and practicality are hallmarks of McLaren Stainless – a business at the forefront of manufacturing food-handling equipment.

Having outgrown its dark and dysfunctional site across the road, McLaren Stainless wanted to set a new design standard that would stun its clients.

McLaren Stainless managing director Rob McLaren had strong views of what he desired in a modern complex that would both showcase the company’s products and provide an enjoyable and safe workplace that oozed excellence.

He took the best from what he’d seen from around the world to develop a design brief that was relatively simple – portray a smart, credible and professional image that gives international clients utmost confidence.

The resulting building is a state-of-the art 4514 m2 rectangular form with foyer/showroom, administration offices at the front, workshop/fabrication and distribution area including turning bay at the rear.

Design brief 

McLaren Stainless desired a state-of-the-art complex that would both showcase the company’s products and create a culture of excellence in innovation.

Many of the company’s clients are based overseas and it was important these clients know they are dealing with a professional and innovative manufacturer.

A complex boasts 609m2 of offices, 3215m2 of fabrication/workshop and 190m2 of supporting facilities.

Stainless is the company’s primary manufacturing material and the external frontage of the building uses Aliclad flat cladding to accentuate stainless and to form a fantastic clean canvas for company branding.

The standout feature is a building frontage with a stunning façade and visitor entry.

The spatial light-centric internal entrance foyer doubles as the showcase for McLaren’s world leading innovative feats and leads to adjoining meeting room, board room and administration offices.

Upstairs management and design offices boast large windows to view and interact with other parts of the facility.

The functional workshop is designed to its manufacturing process  – raw materials in through one vast side entry and out as a finished product through extra large slide doors at the back.

The curved clear span workshop roof with a maximum centre height of 10 metres and three gantries offers natural cross ventilation, high levels of natural light and enables the manufacturing and movement of large plant equipment such as storage tanks.

Ample consideration has been taken for staff amenities. This starts with the plentiful carparking at the entrance, security access areas, walk-through amenities such as changing rooms, wash bays and internal and external staff areas – which are all northwest facing to capture the ever present sun.