Proteus Facades has
helped create a striking new feature on The University of Northampton’s
Riverside Campus in the form of a 26-metre flue shaft on its new £6.9m biomass
plant, completed with Proteus cladding panels and an integrated LED screen by
digiLED.
Further visual
interest was added to this project by the juxtaposition between the Proteus SC
perforated panels specified for the flue stack and Proteus HR solid cladding
panels used to create the unusual vertical saw-tooth façade design on the
Energy Centre’s main building.
This was a challenging
project for MCW architects because the designers had to work around the
constraints imposed by the requirement for a large ‘box’ like structure to
house a 1MW biomass boiler, four 4MW gas boilers and a 120m³ thermal store.
Proteus HR solid metal
skin with honeycomb core was used around the thermal envelope of the building
combined with polycarbonate cladding in a striking internally lit vertical
“saw-tooth” arrangement. The lightweight, exceptional flatness, strength and rigidity
of Proteus HR panels allowed the architects to develop a large modular cassette
system (2500x1000mm), which was replicated around the building providing
uniformity across different façade elements.
An equally engaging
aesthetic was achieved on the 26m high stack by wrapping it in the Proteus SC
perforated ‘skin’, creating a sense of weightlessness in what would, at the
height of three London buses, have been quite an imposing structure. The
back-lit random perforations now appear as though they are pixels being
projected outwards from the 12m LCD screen, whilst the elongated landscape
perforated panels play with the eye to visually truncate the stack’s overall
height.
The screen itself
provides the university with a useful information bulletin that showcases
courses and events as well as being an advertising medium, both of which have
the potential to generate a useful secondary income stream.
In order to achieve
the ‘random’ pattern for the perforations, each of the Proteus SC panels on the
flue stack had to be manufactured to a specific drawing reference and to
millimetre tolerances. This involved changing the location, number and layout
of the perforations on each panel. The pitch of each hole had to be calculated
so that they passed seamlessly over panel joints.
Proteus also addressed
the aim of establishing a seamless link between its perforated panels on the
stack and the 12m high LED screen. This was done by working with the
architects, screen suppliers and façade installers, Deane Roofing and Cladding,
to create a bespoke tray system allowing the screen to be recessed and the
perforated panels butted up flush with the edges.
“While the building function is
essentially utilitarian and technical, the external envelope has been
developed to create a visually strong elevation to the campus celebrating the
University’s commitment to sustainability.” said MCW architects.
Both the Proteus SC
perforated and Proteus HR solid cladding panels are executed in polyester
powder coated aluminium in RAL 7044 Silky grey, creating visual integration
between the stack and main building below.
The new Energy Centre
forms part of the £330m Waterside Campus Development at the University of
Northampton. It will provide sustainable heating and hot water for all the
buildings and student residencies on the 58 acre site, whilst saving over 1,000
tons of CO2 in the short term, rising
to 2,200 tons a year following the introduction of a Combined Heat & Power
Engine.
