AMRC - Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, North West

Project Name: AMRC - Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre North West

Location: Samlesbury, Lancashire

Main Contractor: Cartwright Pickard

Completion Date: 2021

Total Cost: £11m

Services Provided: RIBA stages 1-6, Architectural Design

Awards Received:

• Finalist in BCO Northern Awards
• Best Commercial Development in the North West at RICS Award
• Shortlisted for Project of the Year at Construction News Awards
• Lancashire Project of the Year at North West Construction Awards

System Supplied: Bespoke Fabrications, LandMark I, SnapLok Capping, Soffits, Window Liners

Fusion Facades, along with AMS Cladding Limited and the supply chain, provided a high-quality facade for the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre North West (AMRC) project. Despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, Fusion Facades was able to adapt and deliver exceptional service.

The AMRC is located at the entrance to the Samlesbury Aerospace Enterprise Zone and features a modern workspace with a flexible high-tech workshop. To blend the 48,000 sqft building into the rural surroundings, lightweight bronze metal cladding was used over a landscaped bund.

As a flagship research centre for advanced manufacturing, the AMRC had to meet the highest environmental standards. The office and seminar rooms feature horizontal glazing slots with projecting cappings and perimeter framing for passive solar shading. Reflective solid panels are used within the curtain walls to reduce solar gain while retaining the articulated openings that distinguish the office and seminar rooms from a nearby main road.

A neutral colour was chosen to catch the warm tones of the morning and evening light while subtly defining the different internal uses. To break down the mass, junctions between the sheets are articulated with bronze fins denoting where the structural grid occurs internally.

Overall, the AMRC project has received numerous accolades and is a testament to the outstanding work done by Fusion Facades and their partners in delivering a high-quality, environmentally sustainable research facility.