Nottingham | RAD Building

The SIPs Cladding Panel has been included as part of the innovative design for the Research Acceleration and Demonstration (RAD) Building at The University of Nottingham.

The Project

The RAD Building has been designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent and will include Passivhaus measures to reduce energy requirements, providing a comfortable space for users whilst maintaining outstanding energy efficiency.

The £7m development, funded by Innovate UK, houses many of the UK’s leading academics in its laboratories, offices and breakout spaces. The 142 mm SIPs Cladding Panel was used in the walls of the iconic 2000 m2 building, in order ton restrict energy demand.

The original specification indicated both SIP and, space saving opportunities and quality delivery by qualified installers.

Rising to the challenge

A multi-disciplinary approach was taken to meet the project’s challenging performance targets including input from building fabric engineers, specialist designers and BREEAM consultants. The use of the SIPs Cladding Panel was essential to maximise space in the laboratory building, whilst maintaining excellent levels of insulation.

High performance

In addition to their excellent thermal performance, the combination of the panel’s OSB/3 facing and unique jointing system also help to limit air loss from the building. This allowed the project team to limit air-leakage to below 0.6 ach@50 Pa.

The RAD Building development offered the opportunity for creating a building with a dynamic appearance and unique identity, consistent with the aspirations of the ERA initiative.

The use of the SIP Cladding Panel was essential for maximising space in the laboratory building, whilst maintaining excellent levels of insulation.

The RAD Building development offered the opportunity for creating a building with a dynamic appearance and unique identity, consistent with the aspirations of the ERA initiative. The use of the SIP Cladding Panel aligns perfectly with these aspirations, due to the panels’ FSC® (FSC®-C109304) certification, which demonstrates sustainable sourcing of construction materials.

University of Nottingham RAD Building | Lewis and Hickey Architecture4

Awards

2019 – Winner | Sustainability Award 2019, East Midlands Celebrating Construction Awards – Celebrating Construction Excellence

2019 – Winner | LABC East Midlands Awards Winner & Highly Commended

2018 – Winner | EMPD – Sustainable Project of the Year, constructing excellence