Nottingham - case study

Student Roost – Nottingham 2

A1 fire-rated aluminium package supplied by Futural

At a glance

• Sector: Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA)
• Location: Nottingham, UK
• Scope: Supply and fabrication of A1 non-combustible flat sheet aluminium cladding for the external envelope
• Key drivers: Fire safety compliance, durability, programme certainty, architectural finish, range of colours
• Outcome: Fully compliant, robust, and maintainable solution with a high-quality appearance across façades and interfaces

Project overview

Student Roost – Nottingham 2 is a city-centre student accommodation development designed to deliver modern and safe homes for students. With heightened scrutiny on fire performance for residential buildings, the design team sought a fully non-combustible aluminium solution for cladding, soffits, cappings, window interfaces and plant screening that would align with the façade system and maintain a coherent visual language.

Futural supplied a coordinated package of A1 fire-rated aluminium components, fabricated to suit complex junctions and tight site logistics typical of dense urban schemes.

The challenge

• Fire performance: Achieve EN 13501-1 Class A1 reaction-to-fire for metal components within and adjacent to the external wall zone.
• Consistency & buildability: Deliver crisp, repeatable details (parapet and balcony cappings, soffits, reveals, pods, louvres and plant screens) that integrate cleanly with the primary façade system and window sets.
• Programme & logistics: Support a fast programme with just-in-time deliveries to a constrained city-centre site, minimising storage and re-handling.
• Durability: Provide a finish and thickness strategy suitable for long service life and low maintenance.

The solution

Product & fabrication

• Material: Futural A1 non-combustible aluminium sheets, fabricated as pressings for parapet/balcony cappings, fascia and soffit liners, window reveals/pods, column casings, plant-screen panels and perimeter flashings.
• Thickness strategy: Element-specific gauges selected for stiffness and span, with formed edges and concealed fixings to maintain shadow-gaps and sightlines.
• Interfaces: Pre-drilled and dry-fit checked; supplied with compatible fixings, brackets and EPDM/seal solutions to streamline installation.

Finish & appearance

• Architectural coating: PVDF pre-coated aluminium in four chosen finishes and matt gloss level.
• Colour control: Batch-controlled coating ensured tone consistency across elevations and subsequent phases.

Fire & compliance

• Reaction to fire: Class A1 (EN 13501-1) aluminium ensuring non-combustibility for components in and around the external wall build-up.
• CWCT standards: Futural's flat sheet has passed this testing criteria and was suitable to specified on this project

Results

• Fire-safe envelope interfaces: A1 fire rated non-combustible aluminium components delivered a robust, compliant solution across the façade.
• Crisp, consistent detailing: Pressed profiles and concealed fixings preserved the scheme’s clean lines and tight shadow-gaps.
• Programme certainty: Pre-fabrication, kitting and reliable lead-times supported the installation sequence and reduced rework.
• Low maintenance: Durable coated aluminium offers long service life and straightforward cleaning regimes suited to PBSA operations.

Sustainability

• Circular material: Aluminium is fully recyclable at end-of-life and supports responsible material strategies.
• Lightweight & efficient: Lower handling loads and efficient logistics helped reduce site impacts in a constrained urban context.
• Documentation: Material and coating data packaged for client sustainability reporting and asset registers.