"cafe"

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 CHALLENGEThe 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 SOLUTIONArchitects, 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’.

Artform Urban Furniture was appointed by Robertson Construction to provide a complete range of street furniture elements including seating, planters, cycle parking, and bollards to the external space of a newly built Care Centre and Library in the historic market town of Belper. We offered extensive assistance throughout the project including attendance at design meetings looking at materiality, cost, and installation demands which changed a number of times throughout the project.Although largely a new build, the existing façades of a former Thornton’s Factory have been retained, refurbished, and carefully incorporated into the scheme maintaining considerations of the UNESCO World Heritage Site status of the area.Artforms' premium selection of street furniture perpetuates the careful consideration for the site heritage as well as offering an inviting space for the public and residents of the home. As well as providing space for socialising and natural splashes of colour with plants, the concrete seating and planters echo the light stone of the new section of the development.The inclusion of Moka Bollards and Cubes in Corten provides elegant seating and pedestrian safety whilst coordinating with the restored red-bricked factory façades. The Corten products were supplied with a unique seal coating that significantly reduces the risk of any leaching - ensuring the surrounding paving maintains its clean light colour.The symmetry in the positioning and layout of these elements creates an inviting space leading to the building’s entrance.Finally, a shelter and a number of cycle stands have been provided to ensure people traveling to the space on bikes have secure parking spaces. The new Ada Belfield Centre & Belper Library was previously an unused and derelict building, now it is a space to offer high-quality care that is connected to the local community. Events can now take place bringing residents and members of the public together by utilising the new external space as well as the Library, which also features a café.

A place to meet and great, socialise and eat. An expanding brand of modern eateries are enjoying the versatility of Technowood’s ability to adjust with this changing restaurant environment.An existing client since 2009 has enjoyed the qualities of TechnoWood cladding; for many of the chain restaurant facilities that it has in its portfolio.The client did say “a friend of mine laughed the other day when he said – you should have used Technowood instead of that solid wood.” He said this to the MD of Technowood… they then both laughed.The goal of the designer in charge of the group has created a serene social destination for local visitors. Our design motto being ‘’Design a Vision, Make an Impression, Create an Experience’’The Café element features 2 floors with the usable space spread over 827 square metres; the terrace flows from inside to out thus creating this multi-use space for all weathers.Vertical pilasters in varying forms, all designed and fabricated off site by technood to facilitate a rapid installation where labour is reduced. Cladding in the main is a simple click to install system. The click system is a rapid installation for a cladding facard; the backing track is fixed to the substrate and the cladding simply clicking over the backing track in literally seconds.The colour has lasted well since it’s installation in 2013; the client has had the cladding re-varnished and the project looks like new and ready for the next 10 years or so.Further informationFor further information please get in touch 01494 773344 office@technowood.uk You’re more than welcome to visit our showroom at The Sky House Design Centre  We are open Monday – Friday and Saturday’s by appointment. If you’re an Architect or Designer we would be delighted to visit your office and present our CPD and provide a full set of samples.

Hadfield Carkwell Davidson specified Tobermore for the 376,737sq ft job at the IKEA retail store in Sheffield.The large-scale scheme, which has created nearly 500 jobs, involved construction and fit-out of the two-storey superstore, providing a sales floor, warehouse, staff facilities, café, and children’s play area, as well as underground and external car parking. The project has received a BREEAM excellence accreditation due to its application of sustainable technologies like solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and electric vehicle charging points on-site.The ChallengeBlock paving was required to meet both SuDs requirements and aesthetic aspiration.The IKEA store was constructed adjacent to the famous Tinsley Viaduct on the outskirts of Sheffield, bringing the popular retail destination to the area near the Meadowhill Shopping Centre.A crucial part of the £60M project was that the hard landscaping design would satisfy SUDs requirements but maintain a high-end aesthetic appeal that would reflect the IKEA brand.The SolutionTobermore Hydropave products provided suitable drainage for the project.The hard landscaping solution created an outdoor area that effectively promoted the IKEA brand. By utilising high-end block paving product Fusion in the cool tones of silver, mid grey, and graphite, the elevated finish was beautifully realised. Permeable paving was employed in certain areas to support drainage that would meet SuDs requirements for the site, exemplifying the project’s green credentials. This in turn made it one of IKEA’s most sustainable stores.Tobermore’s Granite Step Units with Contrasting Nosing allow for the uneven terrain to be navigated elegantly with appealing steps that augment the customer experience at the IKEA store. Hazard Warning flags also ensure that the site fully meets modern accessibility standards for people with impaired vision.Laying patterns and delineation enhanced the area to meet customer expectations, creating spacious parking bays and attractive pedestrianised walkways. Hydropave Pedesta and Fusion paving combined to realise a project that radiates a unique, high-quality feel.

DUCO contributes with sun protection to the £78m project for The University of Manchester. The architectural sun control DucoSun Ellips 200 mm, supplied by Contrasol, was chosen for the Fallowfield campus. The solar shading is so much more than decoration.About the Fallowfield CampusThe Fallowfield is a student accommodation with 8 multi-storey blocks including a Warden’s flat and Energy Centre, amenity hub, landscaping and external works. Each residence will have 10 bedrooms per floor with ensuite bathroom pods and a shared kitchen. 1,122 student rooms are spread over the blocks with a combined floor area of 32,020m2. The Fallowfield Campus is the main residential campus of the University of Manchester. It’s a vibrant place where thousands of students live alongside residents – creating e a real sense of community. The mix of shops, cafes, bars and a frequent bus service to and from the city centre makes it an ideal location to live.Construction detailsThe blocks are constructed using pre-fabricated lightweight steel framing system panels which provide structure to the building when used along with composite concrete floors. External materials are predominantly buff brickwork with feature elevations picked out in charcoal fibre cement slate roofing and cladding. Study bedrooms incorporate built-in storage and furnishings and a high specification pre-fabricated GRP en-suite shower pod.  Solar shading is much more than decorationThe vertical solar shading system DucoSun Ellips was chosen for this project and supplied by Contrasol. This solar shading system, in which a blade with of 200 mm was chosen, guarantees not only maximum daylight, thanks to the optimal inclination angle and number of louvre blades. At the same time, DucoSun Ellips 200 ensures that the sun’s rays do not get a chance to heat up the Fallowfield interior spaces directly. The vertically installed solar shading system offers maximum privacy while maintaining the view outside.

Gripsure decking has been used to complete a landmark health building. The £41 million Health Innovation One is the new home of Lancaster University’s Medical School and Division of Health Research.The state-of-the-art building is also a regional hub, which brings together industry, research partners, health and care providers, the voluntary sector and local authorities. The focus is to help improve the health and well-being of the area.With such a variety of uses and needs, it was important to get Health Innovation One’s outside space just right.BAM Construction Ltd, the firm behind the project, came to Gripsure because they wanted a safe, non-slip decking area which blended with the style of the building and its natural surroundings. Gripsure Cumaru was the ideal choice. This hard-wearing, non-slip decking range comes with a 25+ year expected in-service life.Up to 3,500 linear metres of our Cumaru boards have been used outside Health Innovation One’s main entrance and for the flooring of an outdoor seating area.“The Cumaru product was offered as a value engineering option and offered a significant saving to the specified product as well as being a high-quality solution.” said Jonah Speaks, Assistant Project Surveyor at BAM Construction Ltd.As well as the quality and look of the product, Jonah said the construction team was impressed with Gripsure’s support and help at every stage.He said: “There was ongoing support from the technical team to propose the correct fixings and interfaces to ensure long term performance and robustness.”Work was completed last year on Health Innovation One, which features various meeting rooms and event spaces – including a dedicated Innovation Lab and Business Lounge and an on-site cafe.The building is part of the wider Health Innovation Campus at Lancaster University. The site will allow external organisations to work with university experts when addressing health challenges in Lancashire, the North West and across the country.Gripsure is proud to have contributed to such an important project.

Product UsedCemfloor C30F6The iconic Grade II listed Battersea Power Station is at the heart of one of central London’s largest new developments. The £9 billion project will see the creation of a vibrant new destination for London, housing a community of homes, shops, cafes, offices, leisure and cultural venues, withover 19 acres of public space. As part of the redevelopment of the power station, a lightweight floor build-up was required.Cemfloor C30F6 was chosen for this project as part ofan ultra-lightweight flooring solution and was supplied by Capital Concrete and installed by B&K Systems.The new proposal for Battersea was for energystore TLA to be installed at various thicknesses to level out the existing un-even substrate with 30mm depth of Cemfloor CT C30 F6 screed then bonded directly onto the insulating screed. This system had the following benefits of the original specification:• Significant weight reduction: the original specification had a weight of 300kg/m2 whereas the new proposal had a weight of 120kg/m2.• Greatly reduced installation time: the original specification was a semi-dry system, which would have been manually placed and compacted. The proposed products are both flowable systems that are pumped into place and tamped to provide a smooth level surface.• Vast reduction in deliveries of materials to site and minimal storage on-site. • Reduced cement content leading to a lower CO2 footprint.• Faster turnaround time allowing follow-on trades to progress with works without any delays.• Lower curing time of the new system allowed the floor to be loaded with MEWPs faster.• Significant cost savings were also achieved.Following the installation of the system in-situ crushing resistance testing (ISCR) was carried out throughout the floor area; with each test easily meeting the CAT Arequirements. The system was delivered ahead of schedule and a significant time saving was achieved compared with the original specified floor build up. The slab was covered with various types of flooring all of which were compatible with the screed topping.

Heavy 3 slate has been used to rebuild a previously run-down village hall, into An Talla Loch Ness Visitor Centre, a visitor gateway to Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The renovation project used Heavy 3 spanish slate for its similarities, aesthetically and characteristically, to the traditional Scottish Ballachulish.  Part of a £2.5 million project, the developers Loch Ness by Jacobite took over the building with the view of creating a base for visitors to embark on a journey along the loch. The extensive renovation of the Victorian-built Dochgarroch Village Hall has been re-named An Talla, meaning ‘The Hall’ in Gaelic. It now comprises of a reception, retail outlet and café, all built around a new central courtyard and external terrace overlooking the Caledonian Canal towpath and quayside. As the original slate used on the building was Scottish Ballachulish, Heavy 3 was selected for its shared characteristics such as its blue-black colour and thickness. Heavy 3 slate is the best choice for repair and replacement of traditional roofs in Scotland as it produced at an extra thickness, 7 - 8mm, meaning it is ideal for combatting Scotland’s inclement weather.  “As the Loch Ness centre is an extension of the original hall building which has a traditional Ballachulish roof, Heavy 3 slate was selected as the ideal match to maintain the aesthetic,” commented Ian Sharpe, roofing installer at Wyvis Roofing – contractor on the development.  “I specify Heavy 3 for many of my roofing projects as the likeness to traditional Scottish slate is unmatched by anything else on the market. As always, the installation went really well and the CUPA PIZARRAS team – who I use regularly for roofing projects - were on hand to assist if needed.“One particular quirk of this project was the family of bats that had taken residence in the roof of the building. As bats are a classed as a European protected species, it is illegal to remove them; so, we installed a number of lead bat vents, allowing the bats to fly in and out of the roof space freely – yet more wildlife for visitors to observe.” 

The Challenge Modern paving was required for community-based retail developmentSuperValu invested €12m in a 15,200 square foot store in Dunboyne, Co Meath. The location of the retail development has great significance to the local community, having previously served as the local GAA grounds.  Extending its current product offering, the new scheme also aims to become a local community hub. The design champions a community ethos with the inclusion of a large open outdoor space. The open plan space offers flexibility for market stalls or event structures. The new development has incorporated four adjacent units, office accommodation and a café. The new state-of-the-art retail hub required high quality paving that would complement the grey brick and granite cladding of the building. The main entrance and pedestrian walkways needed to fulfil the hard landscape design aspirations.  The Solution Tobermore’s Fusion and Manhattan perfectly complement the retail hub  Tobermore presented hard landscaping options to complement the new state-of-the-art retail development. Fusion and Manhattan block paving were the perfect choice to blend with the grey brick and granite cladding building.  Laid in alternating bands, the striking granite aggregate finish of the paving responds to the staggered elevations of the building. Linear paver Manhattan was used for areas of the main walkways in mixed sizes with smaller units of Fusion laid either side. The three-colour mix of grey tones in a stretcher bond laying pattern adds character and visual appeal to the central plaza.  The grey tones do not follow a particular sequence and the linear bands do not adhere to fixed widths. The intention was to achieve a certain randomness that feels natural and softens contrast. The range of unit sizes and colours of Fusion and Manhattan helped create this vision.  Tobermore’s Fusion kerb added the finishing touch to the project with its striking granite aesthetic as a border surrounding the soft landscaping in the central plaza.