Sotech Ltd

2,500/M2 OF EXTRUDED ALUMINIUM 6063 T6 GRADE HAS BEEN USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF BESPOKE EXTRUSIONS FOR THE BRAND NEW 435 BED BATH COURT STUDENT ACCOMMODATION SCHEME IN BIRMINGHAM.This has been a fascinating project to work on as the architect wanted a bespoke alternative to terracotta cladding; something more hard wearing and lighter and something that could be manufactured more quickly to reduce overall lead times.As a team, we drew on our existing knowledge of extruded cladding systems as well as our relationship with extrusion manufacturers to produce the bespoke solution.We selected aluminium as the material to allow for the complex shapes required and designed four new dies for the development of the system. We also completed a project specific CWCT test at Vinci Technology Centre to provide assurances over the final build up.The bespoke extrusions created under the Sotech Limitless Range reduced the weight of the façade from the original specification. The extrusions also provide greater levels of impact resistance whilst also offering a more cost-effective product. Sotech’s Limitless Range can be provided in a vast number of powder-coated finishes and can be supplied in an anodised finish.

1400 sqm of the unique Sotech Optima Shingle System has been used on the Collaborative Teaching Laboratory, Birmingham University. The shingles were Anodised Regency Gold 2, 2.5 & 3, the finish was selected to create a scaled texture, which can be seen in the project photography. This stunning façade had to be flexible enough to accommodate the practical demands of a modern building. Due to a requirement to ventilate the high level plantroom, the shingles in this area were perforated and fixed to a bespoke support grid, which integrates seamlessly with the surrounding cladding.

OVER 3000SQM OF SOTECH OPTIMA IPC RAINSCREEN CLADDING HAS BEEN USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOURNEMOUTH GATEWAY BUILDING (BGB).Working closely with anodising partner United Anodisers, the Optima Interlocking Plank finished in anodised Anolok regency gold, natural and Anolok bronze, the rainscreen cladding forms a prominent part of the building, situated on the St Paul’s site – next to the St Paul’s roundabout on the Wessex Way; a key location on the main route into Bournemouth.Aluminium is one of the most durable and versatile of metals, anodising enhances aluminium and its environmental virtues. It is exceptionally recyclable, requires minimal maintenance and has proven lifetime performance. Due to the nature of the anodising process and the tight quality controls on both the aluminium and the surface treatment, anodising has a homogeneous (matching & consistent) appearance. Anodising enhances the natural qualities of aluminium further; it permits a strongly contemporary finish with incomparable corrosion and abrasion resistance.At five to seven stories high, the building provides a strong visual gateway to the Lansdowne Campus and a landmark entrance to the town.The building, which accommodates the institute’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (HSS) delivers a unified base for the faculty education, research and office activities and provides 10,000 square metres of space for the Faculty and the wider BU population.The BGB is designed to be environmentally-friendly with a number of carbon-reduction measures. The full team behind the build is committed to an ‘excellent’ rating for the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) certification.The building opened officially in October 2020, but access is currently limited to staff and Postgraduate Research (PGR) students while they familiarise themselves with the building.Special thanks to TAC Projects for choosing Sotech to deliver on this project, which was overseen by Kier Construction with architectural firm Atkins.

6500m2 of Optima TFC in 2.0mm Reynolux Pre-Coat & 2.0mm Aluminium Axalta PPC has been used in the completion of the £36 million student accommodation on Norton Street, Liverpool. The Reynolux Pre-Coat was chosen due to its Euroclass A1 Fire Rating. The material was recommended by Sotech to ensure panel flatness and consistency throughout. Pre-coat is a tensioned levelled material which is perfect for maintaining a flat facade

3900M2 OPTIMA TFC IN PPC ALUMINIUM & 1800M2 OPTIMA FC IN AXALTA PPC ALUMINIUM HAVE BEEN USED IN THE COMPLETION OF THE 400+ ROOM IN SALFORD’S LATEST STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROJECT.The Optima TFC system was proposed to create a ‘basket weave’ pattern to the façade including a mixture of both landscape and portrait lay orientation, visible in the project photos.The Optima FC included multi-depth panels to create a 3D effect along with secret fix assembled triangle segments to further emphasize the projection.When you stand back from the building, you can see the two separate towers seem to connect ‘through’ each other.The expert team at Sotech worked closely with Britplas Facades and their team of specialists to design the unique façade, ensuring it was both viable and achievable to the installation programme. As a team, we developed a method to secret fix the triangular sections onto standard panels at our fabrication facility, to reduce the quantity of parts the installer would have to handle.No additional testing was required for the project as Optima TFC and Optima FC have been extensively tested and are approved by CWCT and have been tested to BS8414-2 (compliant to BR135).Jamie Brown, Estimating Manager at Sotech said: “This is a truly unique, vibrant and striking building. It was a real pleasure to have been involved in this scheme from concept to completion working closely with our supply chain partner, Britplas Facades, to develop a solution that ticked all the boxes – cost, programme and exceptional quality.”Discovery Quays includes 404 student bedrooms over 10,325 sqft in two blocks. The finished building also provides a coffee shop, library, lounge, media wall, gaming area and a stunning double-story reception.To find out more about how the expert team at Sotech can assist in your next rainscreen cladding project, click here.

6000sqm of Optima TFC in PPC Ral: Saphire has been used in the brand new Hilton Garden Inn, London Heathrow T2 Hotel.

1000sqm Optima FC was provided for London’s Heathrow Holiday Inn Hotel, the FC Rainscreen was the perfect choice as the client required secret fix large format panels for the 623-bedroom hotel. The panels were manufactured in Alucobond A2 ACM, the material is lightweight, and has perfect flatness. Alucobond A2 is non-flammable and does not actively contribute to combustion. The project came with its challenges, the system required each panel to ‘return’ into the window reveal. As there is little room for error with this material a great deal of accuracy in manufacturing and installation was required.

4500m2 of Optima FC, TFC, IPC & Feature Fabrications in Aluminium Axalta PPC has been used in the completion of Horizon Heights student accommodation at Liverpool Lime Street. The project has been awarded BREEAM Excellent rating for its sustainable building design, development and management. It has also been nominated winner of the RICS Social Impact Awards for the North West region for student accommodation.

OVER 9,500M2 OF THE BRAND NEW OPTIMA FC+ ANODISED ALUMINIUM HAS BEEN USED IN THE AMBITIOUS COMPLETION OF KELATY HOUSE, A TOWERING STUDENT ACCOMMODATION AND HOTEL IN WEMBLEY LONDON.With three different surface finishes – matt, gloss and perforated – this stunning project brings together numerous wins for the Sotech team and their wider supply chain, not least the captivating tree designs visible on the finished project, created by specially perforated panels.As you can see from the pictures below, the perforated panels have been carefully orchestrated to form the highly original tree silhouettes, visible from quite a distance on the project, which is made up of five separate high-rise blocks.Standing back to view this building, an onlooker can’t help but look up and down the full height of the building, following the shape of the branches.Sotech manufactured hundreds of panels for the scheme on the Salvagnini automatic panel bender, achieving maximum precision. Before the first delivery was made to site in Spring 2020, the panels were stacked and shipped to Holland to be anodised by our anodising partner, Alumet, these were then returned to Sotech and shipped to site.Aluminium is one of the most durable and versatile of metals, anodising enhances aluminium and its environmental virtues. It is exceptionally recyclable, requires minimal maintenance and has proven lifetime performance. Due to the nature of the anodising process and the tight quality controls on both the aluminium and the surface treatment, anodising has a homogeneous (matching & consistent) appearance. Anodising enhances the natural qualities of aluminium further; it permits a strongly contemporary finish with incomparable corrosion and abrasion resistance.It has been a complicated project to complete, not least because of the logistic coordination, but also because of the challenges caused by Coronavirus and the lockdowns, both in the UK and on the world’s borders.All teams across the full supply chain, from material supply and manufacturing through to anodising and installation on site, everyone had to work closely together to follow the guidance, whilst keeping to tight project timescales.Sitting in the Wembley Park regeneration area, within the immediate vicinity of Wembley Football Stadium, Kelaty House will include 300 bed Apart Hotel and 600 bed student accommodation arranged within five separate buildings ranging in height from 4 to 13 storeys.The final delivery to site will be in March 2021, and we look forward to sharing final project images with you then. Be sure to sign up to our monthly mailer to be notified when final project images are available.

1,500/M2 3MM ALUMINIUM 1050 GRADE H14 IN OPTIMA FC & OPTIMA TFC SYSTEMS HAS BEEN USED IN THE COMPLETION OF THE STRIKING ONYX BUILDING, LANCASTER CIRCUS IN BIRMINGHAM.Optima FC was selected as the client required a hook-on cladding system with secret fixings for the main extent of the face. Optima TFC was then used in a mechanical fix for the slatted window cover panels due to barrier loading requirements.The building, which has been designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating, comprises of two bold, angular towers with sharply defined ‘razor’ edges and a smooth, highly detailed, gloss black finish, rising 13 and 24 storeys respectively. The towers are anchored by a middle section rising to 10 storeys and finished with a traditional, matt brick with defined window reveals and texture.The Optima FC & Optima TFC systems were used with bespoke detailing where the main façade (Optima FC Hook On) met with a slatted window cover panel (Optima TFC).Sotech and Axalta Coatings created colour matches to Alucobond 887 & Alucobond 888 Metallics to allow this project to proceed via a powder coating route.Now available for students, the 1025 building occupies one of the most prominent sites in the heart of Birmingham City, positioned between Vesey Street, Lench Street and New Town Row.TESTIMONIALSJamie Smith, Estimator:“It’s an eye catching building in a busy area of Birmingham. The mixture of Axalta 887 & Axalta 888 Metallic is almost alien against the traditional brick and terracotta buildings within its proximity.Phil Fisk, Axalta:“The striking, dark colours chosen for this project were bespoke metallic products bonded to gain the highest application stability. Manufactured using Axalta’s Super-durable Polyester resins incorporating higher grade pigments and stabilisers, the enhanced coating provides outstanding exterior durability as well as looking aesthetically impressive”.

2000sqm Optima FC concave panels in PPC Aluminium has been used on the brand new Carnegie School of Sport, along with 600sqm. of flat Optima FC in PPC Aluminium and 1200sqm. Optima FC in Anodised red etched panels. Optima FC concave rainscreen were designed to suite the architect’s vision, the main feature of the striking sports building is encased in red etched anodised panles are contrasting tones to replicate muscle fibres under the microscope.

Optima TFC, Anodised Regency Gold 1 was provided for the hotel in Stockton in the North East. Optima TFC was selected as the client required a discrete fixing system with a durable finish due to the building location. The seven-story hotel development, Teesside’s first new Hampton by Hilton hotel, will complement the nearby Globe Theatre which is currently being restored by the Council back to its former glory as a major concert venue in the North East.

2400M2 OF OPTIMA TFC IN 2MM ALUMINIUM AXALTA PPC HAS BEEN USED IN THE COMPLETION OF THE STRIKING NOTTINGHAM COLLEGE CITY HUB, IN ADDITION TO 800LM OF FEATURE FIN PRESSINGS & 200M2 OF OPTIMA XPC 200.Painted in Axalta Noble Bronze SE3018039020, Ral 8002 and Copper AE2018007721, the panels form a major point of attraction for students across the city.Standing centrally in the former brownfield site next to the Broadmarsh, the hub is a focal point of activity, with over 2000 students and staff able to access to the building each week.Celebrated as the winner of Building Project of the Year Highly Commended in the Midland Construction Excellence Awards 2021, the landmark City Hub represents a £58m investment in education in Nottingham. The projects includes an impressive six storeys of state-of-the-art facilities including a restaurant, café and performing arts centre.he handover marks over two years of build works, and many more on planning, to re-purpose the former site.he new campus will offer a broad curriculum for the College including performance, media and business, complete with amenities for the community to enjoy including a restaurant, café and performing arts centre. 

8300 SQM of Optima FC+, Optima FC+ perforated panels and Optima IPC (soffits) have been used in the completion of the 23-storey New Bailey building in Salford Quays.Optima FC+ was selected for a number of reasons on this project.Predominantly, it is an incredibly user friendly system – panels can be quickly and easily adjusted on site and the system can be fixed top down, or bottom up with individual panel removal and replacement. This makes Optima FC+ a highly desirable choice for designers and installers.However, the panels were specifically adapted for this project to enable a completely secret fix system, as per the architects vision. Therefore the top return fold was increased to 50mm instead of 38mm. This allowed for the security fixings to be completely concealed by the panel above, allowing the customer to easily fit the panels from ground up.Sotech worked closely with the design team and installer at the very early design stages to make this modification possible. The teams used a 3D modelling route, which allowed the customer to comment and make changes to the model without physical cost.Optima FC+ perforated panels were chosen as an additional aesthetic feature and Optima IPC was selected for the soffit areas as the architect requested a secret fix system.A bespoke window reveal and bracket was included in the panel design. This allowed for an extended side return which was used to hook on the panels and enable a secret fix. The Optima IPC system was perfect for this part of the design as it enables hidden mechanical fixings and is a cost-effective solution using 2.0mm aluminium.Black PPC aluminium was used as backing trays to enhance the appearance of the perforations, prevent views through the perforations and close off the cavity.Optima FC+ has been independently tested and certified to meet CWCT rigorous specification for rainscreen cladding and has been fire tested to BS8414-2 and classified to BR135 for high rise buildings. This makes it the perfect solution for Plot C1, now the tallest residential building in the New Bailey plot.Plot C1, which features a six-storey podium with an exclusive rooftop garden terrace for the wellbeing of residents, incorporates a number of sustainability measures including surface water drainage attenuation, minimising off site spoil disposal, reduced water consumption.The project has been shortlisted in the 2022 Facade Awards UK for ‘Best use of a rainscreen system using aluminium’.

WORK IS NOW COMPLETE ON THE GLASGOW CENTRE PREMIER INN SUPER TOWER! AT 18 FLOORS HIGH AND VISIBLE FROM MUCH OF GLASGOW’S CITY CENTRE SHOPPING SPOTS, THE 249-BEDROOM HOTEL IS PERFECTLY LOCATED FOR VISITORS TO THE CITY.6,500m2 3mm Aluminium 3103 H14 and 6063 T6 Extruded Aluminium has been used in the impressive reclad project, in a modified version of the Sotech Optima FC Eco system.Originally built in the early sixties and one of the first high-rise buildings in Glasgow, the 14,500 sqm project contains two distinct elements – the 3 storey podium and the 17 storey tower. The tower houses the hotel accommodation while the podium element incorporates upgraded retail accommodation on ground, first and second floor levels.In order to maintain the previous aesthetic of the building, the FC Eco system was modified to create an increased panel depth. Sotech had to completely re-engineer the panel system to allow for this increased panel depth whilst maintaining its integrity and superior flatness. As a result, the panels have been fixed to a composite panel wall build up, meaning the ECO support grid system arrangement was required due to its shallow zone requirement.Some of the panels produced for this project are circa 5.5m in length making it one of Sotech’s first solid Aluminium projects with panels larger than 4.2m.Months of F.E.A analysis was required to produce a system capable of meeting the site requirements and we are incredibly proud of the technical team for their expertise and flexibility in finding a solution to the complex challenge.

1,200SQM OF SOTECH’S OPTIMA FC SYSTEM IN 2MM CORTEN A HAS BEEN USED IN THE COMPLETION OF A BRAND-NEW PURPOSE-BUILT CENTRE FOR SPECIALIST RESEARCH IN DIGITAL RAILWAY ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM.Clad in the distinguished steel Corten material, which weathers over a period of 6-36 months, the material was selected as a direct nod to the rail industry, with the Corten providing the same visual impact as railway lines and track signalling.Designed by Associated Architects, the Corten material has fully weathered, linking perfectly to the Engineering disciplines the University will deliver.The building represents the first phase of construction work for a £46.5m School of Engineering development at the University of Birmingham. Procured through the Constructing West Midlands framework, the 3,000m2 facility offers a variety of contemporary and flexible design and research spaces that act as an incubator for innovation, strengthening teaching and building research partnerships.Open offices, meeting rooms, seminar rooms and event spaces will enable industry partners to come and work directly with University experts and researchers.TESTIMONIALSJamie Smith, Estimator at Sotech said: “The façade was expertly installed by Alucraft Ltd with the finish quality testament to the hard work put in to complete this project”.Warren Jukes, director at Associated Architects, was quoted on the UKRRIN web site as saying: “The completion of the UKRRIN facility is an important milestone within the wider School of Engineering project. We are thrilled with the distinct identity achieved using weathered steel, which epitomises the industrial nature of the railway industry in a contemporary and refined style – juxtaposing yet complimenting the buff brick of the School of Engineering and traditional styles of the iconic red brick buildings on campus.Nick Gibb, deputy managing director for the Midlands at Willmott Dixon, added: “Despite completing the final stages of the project during the Covid-19 pandemic, our teams optimised industry-leading safety and social distancing measures, which meant we were able to remain on-site during the pandemic and ultimately deliver this phase of the project on time.”

2500M2 OPTIMA TFC IN 4MM ALUCOBOND A2 ACM SILVER METALLIC 500 HAS BEEN USED IN THE COMPLETION OF PROJECT MEDIUS IN LEICESTER.Part of a wider £50m project on the site of the former Great Central Railway Station, the 35,000 square foot, five-storey office building provides a striking finish in the heart of Leicester city centre.As visible in the photos, some extremely complex panel shapes and geometry – some 5,500mm in length – was required to achieve the finished look. To make this possible, the expert team at Sotech used state of the art 3D development software to ensure accuracy during manufacture.Alucobond A2 ACM, a limited combustible aluminium composite panel, was selected to accommodate the 5,500mm long panels due to its superior strength and flatness properties. In addition, Alucobond A2 ACM is fully recyclable and can be finished in a variety of ways.TESTIMONIALSMohamadreza Jenaban, Technical Lead at Sotech said: “This has been a very challenging and complex façade that required close planning and collaboration between all parties involved. We are thrilled with the final look!”

1400m2 of Optima IPC in A1 rated 2mm Pre-Coat Aluminium Copper Patina has been used in the completion of Queen Margaret Academy in Ayr.

6500SQM OF OPTIMA FC IN COR-TEN WEATHERED STEEL RAINSCREEN PANELS HAVE BEEN USED IN THE STATE-OF-THE-ART STUDENT ACCOMMODATION ON RIVER STREET.As described by Architect Simpson Haugh, the student accommodation comprises three distinct volumes: a volume stepping from ten storeys fronting Garwood Street, down to five storeys facing River Street, and a 32-storey tower.Cor-Ten, a steel alloy which forms a rust-like appearance over 18 – 36 months, was selected for the project due to its striking appearance and in tribute to the copper shades surrounding River Street’s built environment. Cor-Ten is immediately recognisable with its bright red and orange tones.The strong textures of the Cor-Ten provide a fantastic contrast to the dark-blue glass cladding covering the inner elevations.Originally designed for use in coal carriages in 1930s American, the name Cor-Ten was patented in 1933 by U.S Steel, deriving its name from ‘Corrosion Resistance’ and ‘Tensile Strength’.Whilst it might look like the metal is rusting, the outer layer of the metal is actually undergoing a planned corrosion process under the influence of outdoor weather elements, which protects the metal from further corrosion over time.Referencing the corrosion process, Sotech Specification Manager Charlie Mclaughlin said: “Cor-Ten panels developed a patina in-situ on the buildings as a response to the elements. The local climate should be ideal. It was great to do another job with Simpson Haugh, especially on a site just a stone throw from their office.”Sotech’s Optima FC secret fix hook-on rainscreen system was installed to carry the panels, this fully tested system had the added precautions of stainless steel hooks and polyester powder coated rails to eliminate any bimetallic reaction between the Corten panels and aluminium support system.As you can see from the project photos, the Cor-Ten panels were perforated with hole cluster patterns positioned to coordinate with extractor vent outlets in the backing wall. This is achieved through a laser cutting process.As experts in the industry with over 30 years’ experience, Sotech wasn’t just involved at the manufacturing stage, but were engaged from design stage, offering details, advice and budget costs during the project.With 792 bedrooms and state of the art social space, the building fills a spot in Manchester’s landscape that had been empty for years.

5500m2 of Optima TFC+ has been used in the completion of the brand new Science, Engineering and Environment building on Salford University’s Peel Park campus.As you can see from the photos, a striking colour palette has been used in the modified window interface details. Interpon’s D2525 Ostuni Y2211I, 3030 High Gloss & 7022 High Gloss in 3.0mm Aluminium 3103 Grade PPC were selected.The unique overhang window details were created using the 20mm overlapping joint that is standard in Optima TFC+. A bespoke sharp edge detail was added to window interface locations for dramatic effect, creating a stunning visual contrast between the bright red window pods against the white vertical cladding as per the architect’s original design intent.Sotech assembled a full-size sample rig in the factory for the client, architect, main contractor and installer to view a full scale mock-up of the final proposed solution. This ensured that any design details or install sequences were scrutinised and fully understood before the project began onsite. Sotech then created a full 3D model of the project alongside their long-term partners Metclad Contracts. This allowed both parties to identify and avoid potential issues at the design stage before panels were fabricated and delivered to site.The SEE Building is Salford University’s brand new £65 million hub for discovery and innovation. Consisting of four stories over 15,500 sq meters, the department will house the university’s departments of Built Environment, Computer Science and Networking, Mechanical Engineering and Human & Natural Science, in addition to the university’s Morson Maker Space – an additive manufacturing and digital fabrication facilityTESTIMONIALS:Jamie Brown of Sotech said: “This is yet another example how close collaboration from day one, involving the full supply chain, ensures projects can be delivered on time and on budget. The very clever and intricate window interface details showcases just how versatile rainscreen cladding can be, whilst staying within the boundaries of a fully CWCT tested and accredited system.”Naveen Sandhu at Akzo Nobel said: “Great to see this installation following an increasing trend of injecting vibrant tones into the elevation. One of a plethora of schemes in Salford and Manchester adopting our enhanced D2525 PPC technology across the envelope. Pleasure to work with the team at Sheppard Robson and delivering yet another outstanding higher education facility with Sotech.”

WHAT IS SOTECH CITY?Sotech City is a fully immersive virtual world, developed to help architects and designers to make informed decisions when selecting a rainscreen system suitable for their scheme. We wanted the experience to be as close to real life as possible and have replicated our offices and manufacturing facility. You emerge into the city from Sotech’s front doors.We have built a low-level building with horizontal panels and a high rise building with vertical panels to give architects and designers an idea of what their project may look like in their chosen Optima system, material and finish.We’ve developed it to allow the user to visualise how each system would look on a full-scale building. But rather than seeing this as a 3D render on a page, they can experience Sotech City ‘in first person’ on their computer screen, or in VR, but putting on a VR headset, diving into our virtual world and walking right up to a building to view the systems like never before.People can see how the shadows fall on the panels, how the building looks in the morning vs. in the evening. Architects care about those details, and so do we. The invention of Sotech City puts the love of design front and centre. HOW IS SOTECH CITY DIFFERENT FROM SOTECH’S VIRTUAL REALITY SHOWROOM?Sotech’s virtual reality showroom is a fully immersive environment where architects can view the full range of Optima rainscreen systems. The panels are designed to be small enough to pick up and examine closely as though you are in our actual showroom.The user can change the material and finish on a given rainscreen system, choosing from our supply partners wide range of colour pallets. Architects can view project case studies of the selected system and read the full specifications. By interacting with the showroom avatars you can learn more about who we are and what we offer.What you can’t do in the showroom is see how that selection looks on large panels on a full-scale building in a virtual environment. Sotech City is the answer to that.There is something uniquely special about putting on a VR head set, shutting out the outside world and really engaging with this unique experience. There is nothing like this currently and we’re excited for architects to experience this more deeply.CAN ARCHITECTS SEE THEIR CURRENT PROJECTS IN SOTECH CITY?Not yet but watch this space! Right now, in Sotech City, architects can see their rainscreen cladding selection on two types of buildings: A high rise tower with portrait panels, and a school-type building with landscape panels.This is a huge development in the way architects can visualise, manipulate and inspect buildings in real time. It’s so much more than a sketch on a page, an artist impression or even a 3D mock up on a screen. This gives architects the opportunity to turn off the noise, immerse themselves in a real time virtual environment and truly consider the possibilities. The user can view it from afar or walk right up to the building to inspect the finish at close range. It gives architects and designers total immersion.It is our intention in time that user would be able to upload a 3D model of their unique building into our virtual city. For now, our hope is that this really helps with the process of creation and the user can now make even more informed decisions, with a much clearer idea of how that finish will look in a real-world environment. WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT SOTECH CITY?There has been a lot of excitement around Sotech City and our supply partners have been keen to collaborate. When you select a finish or a colour, you’re not just selecting ‘an idea’ or a theme. You’re selecting one of many real-life options available through our incredible partners. This means the selection is available in real life and can be specified immediately. We don’t have to search it out. We can supply it.We have made it possible to change the time of day and even the weather conditions to give a full appreciation of how the system will look in different environments. Depending on the time of day shadows will fall on the panels differently in the morning to the evening allowing the user to visualise how the buildings will appear in real time.As with the showroom, we put together a testing team and called ourselves the ‘Guinea Pigs’. The team was made up of people from different departments to gain perspective from different personalities and understand their expectations of what the user might enjoy and value. We did this to ensure the final outcome is useful and practical for everyone. It is too easy to focus on your own ideas but with our team of ‘Guinea Pigs’ we had a lot of interaction, enthusiastic input and ideas.And lastly, we wanted this to be fun and surprising. We’ve hidden a few quirks in Sotech City for users to spot and enjoy as they walk around. Hint hint: brum, brum, swoosh, swooshWHEN WILL SOTECH CITY BE AVAILABLE TO ACCESS?Sotech City is live now.Please download the update to your showroom experience or, if this is your first experience of the Sotech VR solution, download the experience here: https://sotech-optima.co.uk/vr/ or contact us to arrange a demonstration. WHICH VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT IS BEST FOR WHOM?Installers/designers will very likely get the most benefit from Sotech’s virtual reality showroom. They can pick up the panels, inspect the substructure and see how the panels mount to the wall.Architects will get a lot of benefit from the showroom too, as they can visit our learning zone where they can book RIBA approved CPDs, download full system details and learn more about CWCT and BS8414-2 fire testing, which have been carried out on all our Optima rainscreen systems.But there is something special about seeing your design at scale on a building in a city environment. I’d suggest everyone would benefit from exploring the showroom to make their panel selection, and then walk out into Sotech City to see it rendered full scale on a Sotech City building.WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL REALITY FOR SOTECH?We are putting a lot of time and investment into virtual reality. The lockdowns showed us how much can be done remotely and there is a clear move to virtual working.With all of the current hype around the Metaverse, Sotech wants to get in there early. There is nothing stopping us from being able to hold virtual meetings in the future and for users to upload their own 3D building models or participate in virtual system training.Sotech were having conversations about virtual reality 5-6 years ago. The world wasn’t ready then but one thing that has come out of Covid is that technology has progressed quickly bringing our ideas of a virtual world to reality in 2022. HOW DO I ACCESS THE SHOWROOM AND SOTECH CITY?Both the Showroom and Sotech City can be accessed using a virtual reality headset or via most desktop computers with adjustable settings to allow the most optimised experience.The best and most immersive way to enjoy these virtual environments is through a virtual reality headset. If you’d like to experience this but don’t have access to a headset, you’re welcome to visit our offices in London or County Durham in the North East of England to enter the VR world through our dedicated in-house VR spaces.If you’d like to experience the Showroom or Sotech City without a headset, you can experience it on most laptops and PCs. The programme will automatically detect if a headset is present and start up accordingly. 

1200 msq of Optima Shingles in striking 1.0mm J57S Anodised Regency Gold has been used in the development of the brand new South Shields Interchange Hub in the North East. The client chose Optima Shingles in Anodised Regency Gold as they required a durable finish with a secret system. Optima Shingles also offer a small profile covering with a shallow clad zone.

Over 700 Bushed Nordic Royal Copper fins were supplied on the project. Chosen because it changes the appearance of the building as the sun moves across the sky, each copper fin had to be rotated 1 degree further than the previous fin in order to create the casting shadow look. This posed an exciting challenge for Sotech’s technical and manufacturing team as they not only had to create a bespoke jig to manufacture the fins, but care had to be taken to ensure the direction of the ‘grain’ was maintained across the final look.

Sotech supplied Optima FC secret fix rainscreen panels andoised in Regency Gold 2 finish. The project won awards such as CEEQUAL 'Excellent' award, for being an incredible example of sustainable building, and the legacy sustainability award, from the 2015 constructing excellence in the North East (CENE) awards. The building include horizontal and vertical fins spanning out from each floor, created so that the gold anodised fins on the mid points of the panels hang over the floor creating a picture frame effect. We also saved precious site installation time by fitting the fins onto the panels at our manufacturing facility.

This flagship office space, designed from the ground up to cater for the flexible demands of modern business, offers over 100,000 sq ft of Grade A offices, . Bespoke column casings and feature pressings were used throughout this project. Colour and tone have been introduced to give the building richness and depth. The earthy copper tone of the building catches the sunlight, changing its look and feel throughout the day. Sotech worked closely with Axalta and other supply chain partners to develop a bespoke paint formulation for the project.

1,200SQM OF SOTECH’S OPTIMA FC SYSTEM IN 2MM CORTEN A HAS BEEN USED IN THE COMPLETION OF A BRAND-NEW PURPOSE-BUILT CENTRE FOR SPECIALIST RESEARCH IN DIGITAL RAILWAY ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM.Clad in the distinguished steel Corten material, which weathers over a period of 6-36 months, the material was selected as a direct nod to the rail industry, with the Corten providing the same visual impact as railway lines and track signalling.Designed by Associated Architects, the Corten material has fully weathered, linking perfectly to the Engineering disciplines the University will deliver.The building represents the first phase of construction work for a £46.5m School of Engineering development at the University of Birmingham. Procured through the Constructing West Midlands framework, the 3,000m2 facility offers a variety of contemporary and flexible design and research spaces that act as an incubator for innovation, strengthening teaching and building research partnerships.Open offices, meeting rooms, seminar rooms and event spaces will enable industry partners to come and work directly with University experts and researchers.TESTIMONIALSJamie Smith, Estimator at Sotech said: “The façade was expertly installed by Alucraft Ltd with the finish quality testament to the hard work put in to complete this project”.Warren Jukes, director at Associated Architects, was quoted on the UKRRIN web site as saying: “The completion of the UKRRIN facility is an important milestone within the wider School of Engineering project. We are thrilled with the distinct identity achieved using weathered steel, which epitomises the industrial nature of the railway industry in a contemporary and refined style – juxtaposing yet complimenting the buff brick of the School of Engineering and traditional styles of the iconic red brick buildings on campus.Nick Gibb, deputy managing director for the Midlands at Willmott Dixon, added: “Despite completing the final stages of the project during the Covid-19 pandemic, our teams optimised industry-leading safety and social distancing measures, which meant we were able to remain on-site during the pandemic and ultimately deliver this phase of the project on time.”

10,000sqm. Opitma FC in Alucobond A2, Beige 103, Smoke Silver 501 and Ral: 1035