The Junction, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone

The Junction, a new £3.5m Euro-supported community asset at Railway Park in Dungannon caters for a wide range of activities.

The building, which has been created to host meetings, training, workshops and features a state-of-the-art conference space, café and casual meeting rooms, is located at the historic, 13th century Hill of the O’Neill and ancient capital of Ulster.

THE CHALLENGE

The architects’ vision for the building was one that gave the impression of open access from every angle, set within beautiful grounds incorporating a pedestrian promenade and plaza.

A key consideration was the need for a hard landscaped surface which would sympathetically blend into the aesthetic vision for inviting approaches and provide a durable ground cover for heavy footfall, requiring minimal maintenance, and with assured longevity.

THE SOLUTION

Architects, Hall, Black and Douglas chose AG’s Granaza flag because of its distinctive textured finish that combines granite and quartz whilst offering a great look with robust durability and excellent levels of slip resistance.

In addition Xflo® Plaza Salt (Silver) and Xflo® Plaza Pepper (Slate) permeable paving was chosen for both form and function.

As well as providing a proven means of controlling surface water flow, Plaza Salt (Silver) and Plaza Pepper’s (Slate) striking aesthetics acted as a perfect foil with the Granaza flags, creating the dimensional depth and enhancing the definition between the vehicular and pedestrian areas resulting in an attractive, distinctive effect.

Meanwhile AG’s Terrakerb® offered a reliable alternative to natural stone with which to frame the paved areas.

Within the grounds, AG’s products organically link the promenade and plaza to the surrounding park and existing routes to and from the amenity, in a sympathetically appealing fashion.

Sean Mullen, QMAC Senior Contracts Manager praised AG’s supply capabilities and said the finished building was a ‘statement piece’.