Wellington Central Library (Te Matapihi) re-opening supported by RFS Telescopic Panels

Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, Wellington Central Library, reopened on 14 March 2026 following a major re-strengthening and re-fit to ensure building stability in the event of an earthquake. The project has restored a safe, resilient and future-ready civic space that brings public knowledge, learning and community back into the centre of the city.

Delivering a complex re-fit means solving the unique challenges inside the building’s envelope, and that is where our telescopic framing solution shines.

Project details

• Project: Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui | Wellington Central Library
• Location: Wellington
• Scope: Library total floor area, approx. 14,200m²
• Configuration: Three floors and a mezzanine
• Programme: Dec 2022 – reopened 14 March 2026
• Client: Wellington City Council
• Purpose: Re-fit of an earthquake-strengthened building over multiple floors
• Outcome: A safe, resilient, future proofed library and multi-use community resource
• RFS products used: 13,192 metres of Telescopic Panels 152mm and 92mm

A complex re-fit inside a strengthened structure

Re-fitting a major civic building is never straightforward. Existing floors and walls are rarely perfectly level after decades of use. Standard infill framing needs to be cut and re-measured onsite to account for those differences, which adds time, labour and waste.

RFS Telescopic Panels are built to handle this. Panels adjust both vertically and horizontally onsite, so they fit any opening without cutting. On any refurbishment project that can be useful, but on a multi-level re-fit, it can significantly reduce onsite complexity, minimise trade clashes, and keep project delivery moving.

LGS steel for a 5-Star Green rated build

The new Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui (‘The Window to the Wider World’) was designed to achieve a 5-Star Green Rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), and the RFS telescopic light gauge steel (LGS) framing played its part in helping achieve this goal.

By eliminating the measure-cut-discard cycle of conventional framing, it almost eliminates any waste, and even then, the steel is 100% recyclable. The panels are also lightweight, which reduces transport emissions and makes handling easier.

RFS supplied mostly 152mm telescopic panels plus some in 92mm — to suit different wall thicknesses across the building. Both were manufactured on our Howick X-TENDA™ 3600. They are dimensionally consistent, non-corrosive and built to last, making them ideal for a civic facility designed to serve Wellington for generations.

Bringing Wellington’s library back to life

Thousands of Wellingtonians turned out on opening day. The building was so well attended it had to close early to manage capacity. That kind of response reflects what the library means to the city, and it sets a high bar for build quality, resilience and long term use.

It also demonstrates the benefits of partnering with Rollforming Services and using telescopic framing on a major New Zealand public project: faster installation, less waste, strong sustainability credentials, and a quality result inside a complex, multi-storey re-fit.

Planning a commercial re-fit or civic build? Talk to the RFS team about telescopic framing for your project. 100% NZ-made, manufactured in East Tamaki, Auckland.