A new student
accommodation development at the University of Hull, which will provide more
than 1,450 high-quality bed spaces together with a range of supporting
facilities close to the main campus, is being constructed using the Nvelope NV1
rainscreen support system.
Westfield Court is the
latest development on the Hull campus by University Partnerships Programme
(UPP), the UK’s leading provider of on-campus residential and academic
accommodation infrastructure. UPP will design, build, fund and operate the
student residences and as part of its 47-year partnership with the University.
The complex will
consist of nine accommodation blocks alongside an urban green and avenue
featuring a café, convenience store, laundry facilities and formal and informal
outdoor areas.
The scheme responds to
demand from students for high-quality on-campus accommodation and will feature
a range of single rooms and one-bedroom apartments, with 478 new rooms ready
for the first students to move into for the 2018-19 academic year.
UPP has appointed
Vinci as the construction partner in a build programme worth £97m. It is tasked
with constructing the nine blocks of the development to be consistent with the
scale and context of the campus and neighbouring buildings.
Each of the buildings
is clad with either a masonry outer leaf or rainscreen cladding. Here Vinci has
appointed leading building envelope contractor Speedclad, who have an excellent
track record on educational building projects including the University of
Hull’s flagship Allam Medical Building in 2017.
Around 7,000 sq. m of
Marley Eternit and CGL rainscreen cladding that Speedclad will install at
Westfield Court will be secured using the Nvelope NV1 back frame and support
system. This package of brackets and rails provides a high quality, robust
support solution for rainscreen panels with a great degree of adjustability to
ensure the finished façade is both secure and fully matches the architect’s
aesthetic ambitions.
Michael Ryder,
Pre-Construction Manager at Speedclad said: “Having worked on the University of
Hull campus previously, we’re delighted to have been appointed to deliver the
building envelope on this latest exciting project. Its vast scale reflects the
popularity of the university and the growing appeal of the 2017 City of Culture
as a whole, with students increasingly seeking modern accommodation within easy
reach of the main educational facilities.
“The Nvelope team have
played a key role in making the project a success. Their technical support and
advice has enabled us to deliver the best possible result for the client, with
the NV1 system again proving to be a highly adaptable and trustworthy solution.”
NV1 is used
extensively throughout the UK for vertical cladding applications. Nvelope 'T'
and 'L' profiles are fixed using Nvelope support brackets, fixed through a
series of fixed and flexible points. The system’s flexible point brackets
absorb wind loading and allow for expansion and contraction, with Nvelope fixed
point brackets absorbing vertical dead loads.
The Westfield Court
project’s professional team comprises TP Bennett (Architect and Planning
Consultant), Curtins (Drainage and Structural Engineering), Hulley &
Kirkwood (Mechanical & Electrical Engineering) and Faithful & Gould
(Principal Designer) has worked alongside Vinci to deliver all supporting
technical information.
