Maple Façades

We supplied and installed vertical fins, brise soleil light shelves and louvred rooftop plant screens on Arco’s new five-storey office building – as well as fins and an expanded mesh façade to the 350-space car park.“The overall look of the new development is modern and bold, and has already received many positive comments about its ‘iconic’ appearance,” said Arco’s Estates & Facilities Project Leader, Steve Owen.

The recently completed architectural façade, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris May, stands as the newest landmark in the Brentford skyline. Cloaked with an array of carmine, red, grey, and brown perforated triangles, it creates a striking 3D diamond effect on the north, east, and south elevations of the car park.Each panel consists of eight powder-coated triangles, initially assembled into a prism offsite for safe handling. During construction, the onsite team opted for a more efficient approach by constructing the full panel before affixing it to the building's exterior. This tactical shift led to the completion of the façade a week ahead of schedule.Nick Coles, the operations manager at Maple, lauded the development, stating that it exemplifies the company's ethos of thinking smarter, sharper, simpler, and safer.Located on a 12-acre former industrial waterside site, the car park is integral to Ballymore's broader vision for the development of the Brentford neighborhood, known as 'The Brentford Project.' This ambitious scheme encompasses the creation of various residential, retail, and leisure units.This collaboration with Ballymore marks our inaugural project together, adding to our distinguished portfolio of renovated car parks, including the Spitfire-inspired Smithfield MSCP and the award-winning Chester Northgate.

Aluminium and Equitone rainscreen cladding, cast glass panels, terracotta tiles and vertical aluminium fins give the new 1,200-space multi-storey a bright and modern look. In fact, it’s hard to believe the building (which also houses a new bus station) is really a car park. “There were a few challenges, which Maple addressed really well – ten out of ten for communication,” said Galliford Try’s site manager, Tom Wright. “When you look at the finished product, it’s all been worthwhile. The mix of feature fins, laser-cut and terracotta panels looks great – very close to the architect’s impression.”

As part of a multi-million-pound development aimed at enhancing the overall shopping experience, Maple undertook the creation of a decorative architectural panel facade. This transformative project was executed in collaboration with Glasgow Fort Shopping Centre, focusing on the redevelopment of their new 601-space multi-storey car park.The primary objective was to augment parking capacity at Glasgow Fort Shopping Centre by 25%, emphasizing the dual purpose of functionality and aesthetic appeal. The design aimed to make a distinct architectural statement, contrasting with the steelwork of adjacent structures while ensuring stability and a visually striking appearance. Given Maple's established reputation for pioneering innovative architectural façades, the collaboration was a natural fit for this ambitious undertaking.Teaming up with contractor McLaughlin & Harvey and architect Cooper Cromar, Maple played a crucial role in bringing this impressive five-floor development to fruition.The centerpiece of the project was a 'living art' façade for the new car park, featuring a curved timber-clad steel enclosure inspired by nature. Enhanced by captivating landscaping and boardwalk frontage, the design sought to harmonize with the environment.The construction of this intricate feature façade involved the use of sustainable materials, including 700m2 of Corten steel cladding, 1,100m2 of vertical timber fins, and 1,200m2 of curved timber fins spanning 75m.Through the thoughtful combination of these materials, Maple successfully contributed to the creation of a visually stunning car park exterior that met both the aesthetic and structural requirements of the project.The Glasgow Fort Shopping Centre car park development served as a testament to Maple's proficiency in designing, manufacturing, and installing architectural facades for landmark buildings, employing sustainable construction materials and showcasing their commitment to excellence.

Maple installed an 11.5m high brise soleil system to the north and west elevations of the four-storey building, which will accommodate up to 450 employees.“Maple’s project management and pre-construction support helped develop a brise soleil solution within budget, to the client’s aspirations – safely and to a high standard,” said BAM’s Senior Project Manager, David Oldfield.

More than 3,500 square metres of façade panels protect travellers from wind and rain in a new car park at Milton Keynes Central Station. Round, laser-cut perforations let in light and ventilation to car park decks, while solid and mesh panels complete a design that is both practical and visually striking.“The façade definitely met the design (brief); maybe even more. The client was impressed and so were we,” said Goldbeck project manager Stanislav Stanchev. “But apart from the finished product, I was most impressed with the Maple teams onsite. Communication was good too; everything I needed was answered very quickly.”

A new project in Woking showcases the many benefits of Maple’s new Pluto louvred screening system.Designed to hide unsightly HVAC machinery on the roof of a new four-storey independent living development, the system is lighter and easier to install than traditional systems.   It’s perfect for the rooftop location. Seen from the ground, it’s a sleek bank of aluminium louvres – but the modular system also means that installation is safer, with time spent working at height kept to a minimum.  Maple’s Pluto system fixes easily to the building sub-frame using galvanised steel brackets, while an advanced sub-structure of posts, mullions and rails in high grade aluminium will provide hidden support for the 100mm louvre blades.  Despite a practical function of hiding equipment, pipes and ducting, the screening will not detract from the clean lines of the building, which are complemented by a bank of curved louvres (also supplied and installed by Maple) on the west elevation of the building.  The project is a collaboration between Maple, Willmott Dixon, HNW Architects and Woking Borough Council. When complete, the four-storey development will provide a mix of 48 one- and two-bed flats, which will provide independent (but supported) living.

A four-storey office and laboratory facility at Oxford Science Park uses high-tech solar control glass. However, Maple still had an very important role to play. We supplied and installed a bespoke brise soleil system to further protect the interior from direct sunlight. It was an excellent example of collaboration between architect, contractor and supplier to find the most effective solution.“The use of our 3D modelling software and its compatibility with Vision Profiles’ CNC machining equipment helped reduce design time by 80% for the whole project,” said Maple project director Jay McGrath.

We’d never heard of the Williamson Tunnels in Liverpool. Now they’re truly ‘etched’ on our minds, thanks to an innovative architectural façade design. More than 2,000 perforated panels clad the car park with a design that represents the network of 200-year-old tunnels beneath Liverpool’s streets and rainscreen cladding on the stair core protect against the elements.“The façade looks great,” said Morgan Sindall Construction’s Senior Quantity Surveyor, Graham Golding, who singled out Maple for praise during what was a challenging build. “We had the Covid pandemic, weather issues, little bespoke changes and a myriad of other problems but Maple fitted in. Accommodating is the word I would use – they were one of the best (contractors) on site.”

The architectural façade is one of the most striking landmarks of a £750m development in Manchester city centre that’s been described as ‘a million miles from ordinary’. And yet, it began life just nine miles away in Maple’s factory.“The best thing I can say about the project is that it looks exactly the same in real life as it did on the original CGI,” said developer Bruntwood’s Senior Project Manager.

Maple teamed up with award-winning architects to develop architectural façades for the 10-storey Stanley Street Car Park in Salford.  Architects AHR wanted to cloak the multi-storey in 3D hexagons, made up of individual ‘kite-shaped’ aluminium panels. Trouble was, they had only ever tried the design with paper.“Our design was a big ask,” admitted Dan Barnes, Regional Director of AHR, “but over a series of workshops and meetings with Maple, we turned what could have been a very complicated job into a simple bespoke system. I’m looking forward to working on other projects with them in the future.” 

More than 3,000 sq m of aluminium rainscreen cladding clad the exterior of the five-storey building. But the brightest feature is a series of perforated panels that accommodate LED lighting.“It’s a project that stands out not just for its scale, but also for the level of collaboration that has been necessary between Maple, lighting designers, architect and all contractors to make it a success,” said Maple’s Operations Manager, Peter Mattimore.