"aluminium cladding"

A new and vibrant housing development in Chelmsford, Essex recently specified a range of bespoke Skyline solutions where ‘inspirational architecture’ is a key element.Beaulieu Park is a charming new district set around New Hall School, which was originally King Henry VIII’s Tudor palace and estate parkland. The concept behind the development was to create a series of individually designed neighbourhoods, which connect to the wider landscape. “This was an exciting project to get involved with as it was an open specification. This also meant that it was important to get this project absolutely correct commercially,” says John Hemphill, Skyline Technical Sales Manager at Alumasc. “Our work at Beaulieu Park, in conjunction with our customer, involved designing and manufacturing a full and comprehensive range of bespoke Skyline aluminium products such as window pods, copings, canopies, fascia and architectural feature cladding and corner post details.”For this unique project, Skyline collaborated with our ‘Recommended Installer’ Specialised Fixings to deliver and design products that were tailored to each individual house type and plot.

Set in the heart of the West End, Duke Street is a high end area of commercialised buildings and expensive flats. Some of the listed properties on the street date back as early as the 18th century. Alumasc Rainwater’s range fitted perfectly in this setting. Painted Cast Iron and Heritage Cast Aluminium were specified by Latitude Architects.“The main objective was to provide and produce material as close to the original,” says Alumasc Rainwater. “Bespoke castellated guttering was installed with special curled ear belts to secure the pipes. Together they provided an exact replication of style to the original. We also custom-made guttering that was designed to fit at a specific angle and level of the building.”

The project was to provide an existing system with the new solution that offers high slip resistance according to evaluation group R13/V10* and to make it processable for a series production. For the new work platform on the trailers, a high-quality standard was to be achieved.The task included strict criteria for using recyclable metal with a minimum of waste without compromising with quality. Furthermore, the platform solution needed to achieve a very high standard in terms of quality with an outstanding finish and dimensional accuracy. outstanding surface finish and dimensional accuracy.The solutionAluminium floors for tipper work platforms “From coil to finished product”Optimal production technology in combination with high-performance materials enables production "from the coil to finished product" in terms of reproducible quality / extremely high dimensional accuracy / a perfect surface finish and economical production.In cooperation with our customer and our suppliers in the field of material and surface protection, we have developed a solution that allows us to develop an aluminium floor for the working platform on our customer's tipper trailer, true to our motto of manufacturing "from the coil to finished product".Due to our production technology of a sequence of several processing steps on a production line, we were able to develop a new floor for the working platform on our customer's tipper trailer using surface profiling (PcP Safety Grating Type US), we were able to achieve the slip-resistance classification required by the customer and certification by the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (IFA in Sankt Augustin) - according to evaluation group R13/V10. Furthermore, the tools and materials used have enabled the process accuracy and the processing speed to be optimized and improved to a large extent. In particular, the excellent cooperation with our material suppliers (special foils in order not to contaminate the tools with foil residues) enabled us to achieve a perfect surface finish as required by the customer. Further processing is therefore not necessary and minimizes operational ways and resources.Quality assurance of products and series productionDue to the process-guided production, only the slightest deviations from the specified dimensional and quality requirements are possible. These are monitored and documented by instructed personnel and employees trained in the area of quality at specified inspection intervals. In particular, the product test bench set up for this purpose enables our employees to carry out a comprehensive test on the component and immediately correct deviations in series production.The resultCustom made flooring meets the strictest safety criteria for tipper trailersDue to the partly optimized tool technologies and adapted or partly new procedures and processes, the requirements of our customer's specifications could be fulfilled to 100%. The requirements of the employers' liability insurance association and occupational health and safety could be achieved with a certification (IFA) according to slip resistance class R13/V10. This decisive requirement was accompanied by the demands for process-optimized series production while meeting the requirements for dimensional accuracy and perfect surface finish.As a result, we are confident that we can supply our customers with a product that lives up to their name and market position.

The former Holmlea Primary School is one of Glasgow’s most distinctive residential developments, comprising Alumasc’s Heritage Cast Aluminium rainwater system, in a remarkable blend of conservation and new build construction.Originally designed by Andrew Balfour and opened in 1908, the school formally closed in 2004 and the site was disused for 15 years before finally finding a new owner in Home Group. The developer purchased the site with the intention of repurposing both the original school building and the janitor’s house, which is Category B Listed, for rented housing, and the all-new construction of an extension and two new blocks. In total, the redevelopment presents a total of 49 homes, in a mix of social and affordable rent.Architects on the project Anderson Bell + Christie worked closely with Historic Environment Scotland to deliver a sympathetic restoration and addition to the existing building, to bring the building back into use and provide much needed housing to the area.

Canadian Western Red Cedar Timber Cladding with NORclad Brunnea treatment Approximately 7.5km of Canadian Western Red Cedar has been suppled for this project in Wednesbury, machined to our face fix NWC2 T&G profile. Brunnea treated Canadian Western Red Cedar cladding from NORclad offers a formal 30 year warranty against rot and fungal decay. The NORclad Brunnea treatment is a popular choice, containing a pigment and UV inhibitors – there is a good level of colour stability VS uncoated timbers. Being a preservative treatment rather than a coating, there is less involved in terms of maintaining the product.

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.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’.

Project: Middlebeck SchoolDate: 2021 Background:·        APL was specified by the architect, being engaged early in the design process·        The architects vision required numerous bespoke samples to be made, with an ultra-clean secret-fix version ultimately being chosen ·        APL’s strong production processes ensured all materials were delivered to site on time Systems:·        950m² of APL custom bespoke secret-fix castellated profile in aluminium with a PPC coating ·        APL Tritherm™ GALV subframe to support panel system onto SFS·        All flashings, fixings and accessories  Building Location:·        Newark 

Specially perforated panels were produced for a photo shoot for a makeup brand, creating a futuristic, modern enclosure.

Perforated cladding panels like no other from Proteus Facades have helped to transform a defunct 1980s structure in the heart of London into a visually striking, contemporary commercial office space. Once described as unwelcoming and foreboding, York House in Kings Cross, which dates back to 1981, featured a complex brick façade, with a set back entrance and very small windows giving the building a stand-offish appearance as well as a poorly lit interior.Following a £13 million refurbishment, the building, purchased by The Office Group, which provides flexible workspaces in London, Leeds and Bristol, has been transformed into a bright, co-working space, suitable for London’s thriving and growing businesses.Designed by Architects dMFK, the 70,000sq. ft, eight storey redevelopment features both modern and traditional elements. An original Torigenus cast aluminium sculpture sits on the east side of the building, created by sculptor Geoffrey Clarke, whilst bold new additions include a double height entrance with offices above, as well as a set back roof extension and terrace on the 7th floor.

Located on the north side of Wrexham town centre, the BREEAM excellent Yale Campus one of the largest projects undertaken by Coleg Cambria across its network of six campus sites, which has a base of 7,000 full time and 20,000 part time students.Maximising daylight and ventilation, the glazed façade spans 1,200 sqm across the building. Specified for proven performance and thermal insulation, TECHNAL curtain walling offers a fully capped, mullion-drained solution. With an aluminium substructure width of 52mm, it creates a slim sightline while also providing the necessary strength and inertia requirements.Contributing to higher credits for the critical Energy 01 part of BREEAM, which is concerned with the reduction of energy use and carbon emissions, TECHNAL A-rated Dualframe 75 Si windows offer exceptional energy efficiency. For the Yale campus, a U-value of 1.1W/m2K was achieved. As well as being inserted within the curtain walling, the windows have also been fitted in a vertical panel format to create a striking rectangular pattern within the gold cladding.

Two shades of blue, light and dark, formally in glass panels, needed to be replicated when the glass was removed and replaced within areas of the rainscreen façade and spandrel panels across all levels of a student accommodation tower block in Kings Cross, London.Powdertech was sent shards of blue glass from the old windows, to match with a powder coating both in shade and gloss level. Working in close contact with the client Powdertech directed one of its powder manufacturers to make two unique shades of blue to match the old glass in both colour and gloss. Powdertech coated 4500 sq m of aluminium spandrel panels of sizes ranging from 350mm by 2500 mm to a larger size of 900mm by 4500mm.The non-combustible cladding panels are designed to help prevent fire damage quickly and easily spreading as part of the system. They perform to technical criteria, sound insulation and thermal performance and reduce environmental issues. Powdertech’s powder coatings and application techniques all conform to reaction to fire rating A2-s1,d0, thus contributing to the fire safety of the panels

Designed by architects from Qatar, this complex villa has a very different design from the usual house models; Clean and angular forms which are broken up with massive section of timber structures. These structures are not ordinarily large section of timber. They are created in house at Technowood and serve as a “reduced timber option”. Furthermore, with only using 2% when compared to using sold timber for the same project.Stone, metals and glass are the main texture of the design. These white tones of concrete structured against panels of natural timber, it’s most eye-catching feature. Located in Dohada, one of the most modern cities of Qatar, this futuristic house is also accompanied by the tranquil nature of the pool and the wooden sunbathing areas surrounding the secluded exterior.When working with designs for projects, Technowood allows the Architect to think big and realise big at the same time. Unsupported beams of this natural material can span up to 12 metres unsupported… imagine this section in a hard wood, the weight would be tonnes in comparison to the lightweight Technowood option.Credits and Further informationLocationDohada, QatarMaterialsCantilevered Bris Soleil, solid forms and cladding in TechnowoodProjectPrivate Villa

Installed alongside some interesting brass architectural detailing, TECHNAL aluminium windows, doors and curtain walling has been specified and installed at Heathervale House, transforming the outdated office development. Situated in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, Heathervale House is a commercial property that has been used as an office space for decades. Originally clad in brick, slate and hung tile, the building had shown signs of disrepair, looking tired and dilapidated. To bring it back to life, the building owner developed plans to undertake a wide scale refurbishment and extension of the property. Following a feasibility study, the building was handed across to design-led architectural practice MortonScarr. From the outset, MortonScarr recognised how important updated glazing systems would be in improving the aesthetics and performance of the building, both internally and externally. Previously, Heathervale House had featured small, brown-framed windows, which limited how much sunlight those inside the offices received throughout the day. The entire facade of the three-storey building was re-clad with concrete tiles, with interesting projecting brass window boxes also incorporated. The window boxes, which feature TECHNAL systems, added visual relief to the building externally, whilst maximising internal vistas for the occupants. TECHNAL also assisted on a large rear extension, a new glazed lift to the front and two additional fully glazed storeys on top of the existing roof. Flooding the new office spaces with daylight, the large glazed expanses are shaded by two-storey bronze louvres. As a result the newly fitted office now brings in much more natural light than before.

Facade systems from Technal helped the University of Leeds to set a new benchmark for student accommodation in the city. More than 3,00sqm of Technal glazing systems for the Charles Morris Halls were fabricated and installed, and the £21m student halls of residence comprises of two half-hexagon buildings sited around a central landscaped courtyard, providing 457 hotel-style study bedrooms.The challenging glazing specification involved the construction of large oriel glazing bays that project 300mm in front of the cladding, and contrasting projecting bays to the corners of the two buildings. The oriel bays provide a different architectural feature and an alternative to more conventional recessed panels of glazing. The floor to ceiling glazed units, which maximise natural light were constructed using aluminium curtain walling inset with top-hung casement windows. These were fabricated and installed into the bays in more than 30 different sizes to create a less regimented appearance for the building envelope. Laminated glass with coloured interlayers adds further interest to each facade - in panels of green where the glazing is set into red brickwork on the external elevations and orange for the courtyard elevations to complement the cream-coloured brick cladding. Long runs of curtain walling using 1500mm modules enclose the common room and the link bridge between the two accommodation blocks. The window units in the common room are linked to the air conditioning system, which allows them to open automatically according to CO2 levels. All other opening units on this scheme are operated by low-level levers to allow anyone, regardless of any disability to open the windows.

In the development of the fenestration and curtain wall systems for Great Marlborough Street Reynaers worked closely with envelope contractors Baris Facades in order to develop no fewer than 6 bespoke cap profiles. One ensured that the insulated aluminium panels, which are a feature of the building, glazed flush with the curtain wall cap profiles. Another feature of Students Castle is the distinctive protruding box detail around the windows of the towers headed by aluminium louvre panels accommodated by bespoke capping. Further bespoke elements facilitate the omission of mullions on certain window positions, as part of the distinctive design.

As a project local to Vincent Timber here in Birmingham, this was quite an exciting one for us. Contractors Design and Build worked alongside architects Piper Whitlock on behalf of Harvest on this stunning, 30-acre regeneration project, which was formerly an industrial site.The project is a joint Sainsbury's and Landsec venture which features 250,000 sq. ft. of retail and leisure buildings. As you may imagine, the large onsite Sainsbury's, erected upon stilts, is an impressive feature building.“It was very exciting working on this large-scale project, especially with the unique solar shading we created. Being built locally meant it was great to see the site as it progressed.”  - Malcolm Frowen, Head of Cladding and Brise Soleil Sales @ Vincent TimberWhat You'll Find Here The Sainsbury's site not only features an unforgettable glazed movement atrium, most of its elevations are also clad in beautiful vertical timber strips. Other retailers include Next, Marks & Spencer and JD Sports while Nando's and Costa provide a fuel break from all the shopping fun. All of which are fronted with aesthetically pleasing solar shading created using our Sivalbp timber.Design and aesthetic have been a huge focus of this project, combining many wonderful materials and features while heavily incorporating the Worcester and Birmingham canal to create a unique experience that's so much more than shopping. Whilst there is parking for 860 cars onsite, the canal side square connects the site to the centre of Selly Oak, providing easy access for pedestrians and cyclists too. Thanks to its environmentally friendly design this project has a Very Good BREEAM rating. About SivalbpVincent Timber is the UK's sole distributor of Sivalbp, a modern production facility based in the South of France.The facility combines the latest technology in wood processing, with high quality pre-coating preparation and sophisticated environmentally friendly coating methods to produce a range of coated products that are both high performance and aesthetically pleasing.Many profiles can be secret fixed, avoiding visible nail heads and protecting the integrity of the coating.

The vision for Rochdale Riverside was to provide a revitalised and vibrant town centre incorporating a contemporary architectural form and material palette. In this way it was hoped that it would create a destination experience and re-establish Rochdale as a major shopping centre.The impact of the Stereo-kinetic® wall cladding was fundamental within the design of the project.As described by architects, TP Bennet, “The centrepiece of the scheme, a striking, copper-clad cinema, is set against a background of a dramatic kinetic wall featuring a relief depicting the River Roch, which runs in a culvert underneath the centre”.And also noted within the report by Rochdale Online, “To bring visual interest and activity a unique moving tile wall is proposed which will move with the wind to create rippling effects. It will create a truly distinctive piece of public art and feature at a key entrance point to the town for tram and bus passengers”.Lang+Fulton fitted the 77,500 stainless steel tiles off-site using a template corresponding to the architects design and supplied their panels fully finished with protective, recyclable wrapping for ease of installation.

The Arc was a large and complex project with over 1,000,000 Brick Slip cuts and 235,000 Cut and Bonded Bricks. The Architects AHMM had chosen a bespoke blended product from our wider product range to create a random bond effect for the brickwork, this consisted of 126 different lengths of brick slips which all needed to be manufactured by ourselves.The Arc is a new mixed-use building in east London delivering new retail opportunities, office floorspace, 100 new homes, landscaped roof terraces and a new area of public realm onto City Road.The building is inspired by early 19th century New York towers with three stages of tiered massing in response to the surrounding context heights and Conservation Areas. There is a consistent treatment of the facade materiality across the building with vertically expressed brick piers and a horizontal concrete banding wrapping the building. This treatment relates to the adjacent Victorian warehouse aesthetics and is accented by the use of glazed brickwork in the first two levels.At ground level the main entrance is angled away from City Road and is set behind a two-storey colonnade, providing secure access for both the office and residential tenants. The office lobby design contrasts with the calm external appearance through the use of organic GRG elements developed by interior architects Massive Design. An area of affordable office space is proposed at ground level running through the building and linking Shepherdess Walk to Wellesley Terrace. Restaurants and cafes activate the street frontage around the site and the internal lobby space. Externally, retained elements of the former St Luke’s Parish Workhouse are integrated with a new public space and sculptural bench around the existing London plane tree.Levels one to six comprise the office component of the scheme providing 145,000 square feet of office floorspace. Above the office, at Level 07, the building steps back to form a slender element which contains the residential accommodation. The set-back also generates a large landscaped roof terrace with accompanying residents lounge. All the residential areas are designed by the interior architects Bowler James Bridley.

DAYLIGHTING TAKES OFF AT HEATHROWThe ageing glass skylights of Terminal 4 at London’s Heathrow Airport were in need of repair. The challenges for the project’s main contractor was finding a way to keep the project moving with little disruption to this busy terminal and also maintaining the airport’s security protocol.The answer was a single-source solution presented by Structura UK, the curtainwall engineers who are the exclusive distributor of Kalwall products in the United Kingdom and Ireland.18,836 square feet (1750 square meters) of Kalwall Skyroof® cladding were used above the terminal’s International Departure Lounge and check-in desks to replace the 30+ year old glass skylights. The Kalwall translucent sandwich panels are fully Aviation Security in Airport Development (ASAID) compliant with regards to blast performance and improve the solar control and insulation for the space below. In fact, Kalwall 100™ panels were specifically chosen to exceed code requirements, therefore future-proofing the project.The whole retrofit was completed externally using a custom moving scaffold and during evening hours, meaning there was no disruption to the inside of the building. And, as far as value, the lightweight translucent panels allowed for the existing substrate to be adapted and reused – a savings of nearly $9 million (£7m) in project costs and more than a year off the build timeline.“Structura UK was a new supplier to the major capital projects programme on the Airport (and) they delivered a flawless installation despite multiple challenging circumstances including adverse unseasonal weather, unexpected contaminated materials and multiple design changes,” says Ben Hooper, Senior Project Manager at Heathrow.Structura worked in conjunction with Structural Engineers Webb Yates for a scheme designed by Pascall+Watson architects. The project proved so successful that main contractor Balfour Beatty named Structura as their ‘Most Promising New Supplier 2018’. Kalwall offers complete line-of-sight protection, maintaining privacy for the security screening area and departure lounges while bathing the interior with diffused daylighting, regardless of the weather. Apart from providing the visual protection, its inherent strength and heavy-duty impact resistance make it ideal for secure locations such as this. It offers the highest protection in terms of windbornedebris and resistance to impact, abrasion and point loads. Not only is it man safe, but Kalwall achieves S:AA (BS 476 part 3) and Broof(t4) to EN 13501 part 5 for external fire performance.The exterior face is colour stable and includes a UV resistant, self-cleaning surface. This means that normal rainfall helps to keep the surface free of dust and dirt while at the same time retaining its original colour during the weathering process.

A self-detached home in Brighton that once blended in with its' neighbours is now arguably the street's most striking resident. The homeowners were passionate about creating a contemporary two-toned look, using materials that are durable and low maintenance.The exterior walls are clad with Hardie® VL Plank fibre cement board, showcasing a mix of a vertical installation on the top half and horizontal installation on the bottom half. The clean, modern lines of the interlock V groove help to accentuate the building's shape, enhancing a sense of spaciousnous.