TRN House: A peerless performer

The new TRN House, situated in Sydney’s Oran Park, is the first superior-quality commercial office space built in the Oran Park town centre.?

The building is a defining presence in its area. ‘TRN House is the tallest standalone building of the Oran Park Precinct, a major commercial hub of the new southwest rail link,’ points out Michael Ryan, Senior Project Manager at Richard Crookes Constructions.?

‘TRN house is centrally located within the thriving commercial precinct of Oran Park, and only 15 minutes from the Western Sydney Airport, scheduled to open in 2026. And the new commuter rail network from central Sydney CBD to Oran Park will be accessed directly in front of TRN House.’?

The building’s innovative form demonstrates the importance of intuitive interior design. ‘The open atrium in TRN House is a real standout feature,’ Michael explains. ‘The building has three carpark levels beneath six upper levels of commercial office space. Each storey equals around 1560m2 of floorspace, totalling around 10,500m2. The three passenger lifts accessed from the ground floor lobby are housed within an intricate fa?ade, which called for extensive engineering.’?

Capral’s CW116 Curtain Wall system was specified for TRN House due to its unique combination of properties. ‘The Capral 150mm suite proposed by the fabricator, Windtech Fa?ade Systems, is a hybrid Curtain Wall featuring high-performance glazing systems throughout,’ says Michael.?

The CW116 system is the ideal choice for such an ambitious building. One major reason is its slimline profile, which offers a clear space advantage over its rivals. A fully structurally glazed system with a frameless appearance, the CW116 is configured with double-glazing as standard while also being compatible with single-glazed applications.?

As Michael points out, Capral’s input was crucial in guiding the project through to commencement. ‘Windtech Fa?ade Systems recommended the CW116 Curtain Wall system, working with a group of third-party engineers to review performance and suitability,’ he says. ‘We were able to obtain a performance report based on its key characteristics and readily available testing data supplied by Capral.’?

Oran Park’s scale, ambitious design and thermal performance targets were assisted by the rigorous quality control and testing undertaken by Capral in the CW116 system’s design and manufacture. ‘Without question, the CW116 Curtain Wall system contributed to the building’s ability to meet Section J in achieving superior levels of thermal performance,’ Michael states.?

Ronald Tam, Project Manager with Windtech Fa?ade Solutions, expands. ‘We engaged Richard Crookes for TRN House,’ he recalls. ‘And closely followed the architect’s design brief, producing all the shop drawings and detail for the fa?ade systems.?

‘After extensive research, we selected the CW116 for TRN House due to its slimline aesthetic appeal, superior thermal performance, and structural integrity, designed for low- to medium-rise commercial buildings,’ Ronald continues.?

‘TRN House is the first building to use this brand-new curtain wall system from Capral,’ Ronald continues. ‘We had extensive contact with the Capral in-house engineer and technical support team at every stage throughout the project, providing advice from the very early planning stages.’?

The impressive versatility of the Capral system proved essential. ‘The Capral system easily incorporated all required modifications, with brackets, fins, cladding, and step-ins and step-outs introduced,’ Michael says. ‘Modifications also included three bays of louvers, requiring a secondary frame within the curtain wall suite. The versatility and modifiable nature of the Capral CW116 enabled this to be achieved.’?

‘We also appreciated how the CW116 seamlessly integrated with Equitone, the other fa?ade we used in TRN House,’ Ronald adds. ‘We used a lot of this prefinished fibre-cement Equitone panel, a high-end European product, throughout TRN House.’?

‘The CW116’s anodised cladding was another major drawcard for the building,’ Michael adds. ‘Curtain Wall systems are usually powder-coated, but the area’s harsh temperatures made anodising an important step in providing the aluminium with a far more durable finish.’?

Ronald expands the point. ‘Because the entire curtain wall is anodised, we had to do it locally; in many places, you can’t achieve the desired colour and consistency,’ he notes. ‘As well as offering longer durability, the CW116’s two-tone anodised finish changes colour and texture under the sunlight, displaying slightly different colours in the morning, afternoon, and night.’?

In addition to these impressive properties, the appealingly slimline profile was also a consideration. ‘The client really liked the CW116’s sleekness and thin lines,’ Michael confirms. ‘They also appreciated having more floor space, as the product’s thickness was only 150mm instead of the conventional 200mm. Preventing that inside creep of 50mm provided another 6m2 for each level, which was 36m2 they didn’t have before.’

Ronald was similarly impressed with the CW116’s compact nature. ‘The 150mm depth of the whole frame system, as well as the ease of using it with spandrel glass, made it an ideal choice for TRN House,’ he confirms.?

Due to its unbeatable combination of durability, flexibility, and aesthetics, the CW116 proved the perfect performer for this landmark project.

Project Credits | Architect: Allen Jack + Cottier Architects | Builder: Richard Crookes Constructions

Products Used | CW116 Curtain Wall