Trespa®
Meteon® architectural cladding panels provided the ideal solution
when architectural practice CREATE Design + Architecture was called
in to design an extension to the refectory at a North East London
girls’ school.
Copthall
School is an academy and sixth form centre in Mill Hill, Barnet, and
has undergone extensive expansion and upgrading as part of the local
authority’s ambitious improvement programme. CREATE was brought in
to extend the existing dining space to provide 75 additional seats.
“The
project also included a partial re-clad of the existing refectory
building to create a holistic solution that ties together the
original brick building and the refectory extension,” says
architect Phil Morris.
“Our
proposal was designed to be modern, simple and effective. We chose to
give the extension a timber clad appearance to complement the
existing school complex and preserve the local character of the
borough and green belt area. Trespa® Meteon® was chosen as a
cost-effective and robust solution.”
The
structure is timber frame with glulam timber rafters at roof level.
The corners of the building are prone to heavy wear and tear as the
extension is en route to the school bin stores. With this in mind,
Trespa® Meteon® was specifically chosen because it is a robust
material that will not require additional edge protection and which
now provides a simple clean-cut corner detail.
The
Trespa®
Meteon® Wood Décor cladding
panels were
cut into 100mm wide strips and installed at varying angles, using an
adhesive fixing system. The
direction of the angled slatted cladding emphasises the roofline and
plan form of the extension.
This
is the first project where CREATE has specified Trespa® Meteon® and
its performance and aesthetic appeal has impressed the architect.
“The use of Trespa® Meteon® enabled us to propose a very simple
building that was constructed quickly and cost effectively,”
concludes Mr Morris.
