Shortlist Gallery

Best use of a rainscreen system using glass/ceramics

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#1 Allam Diabetes Centre - Zenith Developments with Kingspan Facades
Allam Diabetes Centre is a multimillion-pound addition within Hull Royal Infirmary, funded by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Dr Assem Allam, to provide expert care for over 9,000 people a year. The centre cares for people in the local and surrounding area who have diabetes and metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis. The thoughtful and people-focused design gives a welcoming, de-institutionalised feel which is different to other healthcare facilities. With a façade which facilitates natural daylighting, hygiene, cleanliness and views of the city centre which is located just up Anlaby road, the centre will bring greater longevity to people’s lives. In addition, it is providing a significantly expanded range of accommodation for world-class diabetes & endocrinology research and other research teams.

Kingspan Facades’ Ceramic Granite rainscreen in Arctic White provides a sleek façade which reflects the colour palette of surrounding healthcare buildings, including the nearby Women and Children’s Hospital and a reliable, hardwearing, and low maintenance solution for the exciting new addition to Hull. Once installed, the composite panel requires minimum maintenance and can easily be cleaned, reducing the risk of streaking, and because it is located on a busy main road this ease of operation is a key benefit. The building was the work of local contractors Zenith Developments, Alessandro Caruso Architects (ACA), and sub-contractors Intex Systems. As the City of Culture in 2017, the centre marks a period of investment in the city and its surrounding areas, and its unusual façade contributes another standout part of the city.

#2 Brighton University - Gilbert Ash with Aliva UK
Conceptually inspired by the iconic Brighton Pier and the flocks of birds it attracts, the façade’s 50,000 bespoke ceramic tiles represent the process of flux that students experience during university life.

The selection of ceramic elements was led by the benefits offered by this material to satisfy several requirements: its natural texture, high durability and flexibility in design. This latter was fundamental to satisfactorily respond to the complexity of the 6no different shapes required for the tiles, such as no other material could provide the same strength and flexibility at the same time.

The natural beauty of a smooth finish was another important addition to the valued aesthetical appeal of this prestigious building.

Being a compact and non-porous material, it also provides high-durability performances combined with low maintenance required; it is weather-resistant, so it can withstand the harshest weather and environmental conditions. It is also resistant to the powerful UV rays, thereby protecting the colour of the building from fading fast. In addition, as it is made of non-flammable materials, it is even resistant to fires and ensures optimum protection of the building. Given the location of the building, close to a very busy road and the busy pedestrian surrounds at ground level, a cladding requiring very little maintenance and at not frequent intervals is the best, natural and ideal solution.
It should also be added that as it is made of 100% clay, it is an eco-friendly choice. It is sustainable and can be easily recycled. A great benefit offered by the aluminium support structure of the designed and supplied system.

#3 Buchanan Wharf Building 5 – ENTEC with NBK Architectural Terracotta
The Buchanan Wharf development in Glasgow is a mixed-use development consisting of offices, apartments and amenities.

It’s a city centre development, on the edge of the river Clyde, which has now been shortlisted for the Scottish Design Awards 2022.

Building 5 is the highest of the buildings on the development, standing at 65.50m at the peak, the façade consists of bespoke NBK Keramik Gmbh terracotta tiles, a bespoke aluminium sub-grid, Kingspan K-Roc insulation, Knauf Windliner board and BW Industries SFS infills.

The Architect, Cooper Cromar, selected the glazed ceramic terracotta tiles to replicate the tile finishes in the old tenement buildings across Glasgow. To achieve this the glazed finish of the tiles intentionally included small imperfections to make them have the appearance of the handmade tenement building tiles.
The tiles also had two different profiles – a ‘saw-tooth’ profile and a ‘castleated’ profile which made the colour of the tiles look different as the sunlight hits it at different angles.

Due to the location and close proximity of nearby buildings there was no space for the storage of materials on site. All of the tiles were coming from Germany on full artic loads but there was nowhere on site to store them. To overcome this issue, we leased a storage unit on the industrial estate nearby. We used this to store the tiles and then delivered them to site in smaller loads as and when they were required.

Both the Client and the Main Contractor were very happy with the end result and have subsequently awarded Entec the next building on the development.

#4 Circle Square - John Sisk with Premo Fabrications
Circle Square is an exciting new neighbourhood located on the former BBC site in the heart of Manchester city centre. Careful consideration was given to select high performance products that met with the project’s exacting design requirements, specification and budget. By using a rainscreen with grains and textures that complemented Manchester’s beautiful Victorian architecture, FK Group delivered an aesthetically stunning solution tested to meet CWCT sequence B and movement 1463.

#5 London Olympia's new Energy Centre - Craft Interior with Sto
A new energy centre in the heart of west London received a dramatic and eye-catching appearance thanks to the use of a portfolio of façade products provided by Sto. The company’s StoVentec R rainscreen system, with StoVentec A render carrier boards and bespoke 3-dimensional StoDeco profiles, were used to focus attention on the new Olympia London’s Energy Centre, which forms part of a major urban regeneration project in the capital.

#6 Nexus – Ashe Construction with SD Samuels (entered 'Composite Panel')
Putting practical problem-solving and design refinement to the test, we have designed a 44,000sqft new-build headquarters within a 200,000sqft green landscaped site for Nexus Infrastructure, a construction company that provides civil engineering, utilities and electric vehicle charging infrastructure through three subsidiary companies. Each subsidiary has its own purpose and personality, which the client wanted to embrace and intertwine with the design of its new HQ. The building provides flexible work, cycling facilities and meeting and social spaces for over 300 staff.

The building’s thoughtful façade creates effortless elevations through a restrained material palette and crisp, careful detailing. Key elements are repeated deliberately for elegance and cost efficiency. A Carea rainscreen cladding system made of slate grey mineral composite panelling and a singular, full-height, recessed window type are repeated to create a uniform grid, giving the building a graphic quality. Ventilation grilles are cleverly concealed at the heads of the recessed windows, maintaining the clean, rectilinear silhouette. These design decisions combine high quality, robust materials to achieve an efficient build time and ensure low maintenance and improved longevity. They also offer a feeling of solidity and permanence even though the steel frame building is ultimately lightweight.

Two outdoor courtyards are created diagonally from one another on the north and south sides of the building. They are intended as extensions of the internal staff social spaces. The north courtyard features a fern garden and is presented as a quiet break-out space, with entry for cyclists commuting into work. The southern courtyard is more social, an extension of the large staff café, defined by a row of native whitebeams and paved in dark porcelain pavers that complement the façade treatment. It is the perfect spot for a sunny lunch.

#7 Rainbow Wave Façade – GIP with Agbrob Buchtal
The installation was hard as the installers had to respect the accuracy.  The project was completed within 10 weeks of the client's approval.