Curtain
Wall Systems
Plymouth has a new icon – the arts faculty
building for the city’s university – where its striking copper
cladding integrates with curtain walling, rooflights, windows
and doors by architectural aluminium systems supplier Kawneer.
The Kawneer systems have helped the £36million Roland Levinsky
building achieve a “Very good” BREEAM rating alongside the
university’s objective of a “badge” building for the campus that
is easily accessible to the public.
A Kawneer-approved installer worked from an early stage with
design and build main contractors HBG Construction and their
executive architects Building Design Partnership to ensure that
as well as befitting its position as gateway to the university,
the building would also perform in the extreme marine
environment where weathertightness and corrosion resistance were
even more important than normal.
BDP had considered a range of options and the sub-contract
tender was won by Dudley’s Architectural Aluminium who proposed
Kawneer’s AA®100 curtain walling for the glazing of the north
and south facades.
This was complemented on the copper-clad elements with Kawneer’s
AA®100 rooflights that perforate the roof to illuminate the
four-storey atrium at the heart of the building and AA®600
windows that seemingly randomly puncture the vertical planes, as
well as 190 narrow-style doors.
Developed from a concept by Henning Larsen Architects, the
13,000m² building contains an array of arts activities, from a
cinema, 300-seat theatre and café to two dance studios and fine
arts and digital studios for 2,300 students and 200 staff.
Parts of the particularly prominent nine-storey tower house the
architecture school while Peninsula Arts, an organisation funded
by the university, occupies a publicly accessible art gallery on
part of the ground floor.
Split into three structures, the building comprises an in-situ
concrete frame with post-tensioned floor slabs. The curtain
walling is one of three principle envelope materials, slate
being used on the south façade at street level.
“It encourages the open, accessible feel required for the
building with views through and into and out of the building,”
said architect John Palmer at BDP who regularly use Kawneer
systems.
Installing the curtain walling was more challenging than normal
for Dudley’s. Divisional director Bob Rice said: “The main
challenges on this project were the many changes in direction of
the building coupled with the shapes of the screens. There were
not too many that were traditionally rectangular. Also, the
glass had a complex fritting pattern and there were some
photovoltaic panels integral to the curtain walling.”
Some slight modifications were required including the cutting
back of mullion fronts to permit aluminium infills to pass
unhindered as continuous horizontal bands at floor slab level.
“The Kawneer systems fitted the aesthetic requirements well. The
project had strong interest from the planning authority and its
design advisors. The marine environment required appropriate
specification and detailing for weathertightness and corrosion
resistance,” added Mr Palmer.
Martin Berkien, director of learning facilities at the
university, said the building was more than just another dire
budget utilitarian college building and added: “It has
interesting angles and gives the message that people are free to
walk in whenever they choose.”
Email: tracy@tlcpr.co.uk
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Editor's Note: Kawneer provide:-
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Kawneer - Helps Plymouth promotes the arts
Arundel Jones Associates Ltd News Categories : Curtain Wall Systems |