The
tremendous design possibilities offered by the StoVentec
Glass rainscreen cladding system have been highlighted by a recently completed
project at a leading Midlands school.
The Sto system was specified for the
Wolverhampton Girl’s High School due to the strong visual appeal which matched
the architect’s vision for the project.
“The design of the school’s new
sixth-form building was extremely important given its location and context, and
this played a major role in driving the specification of the most appropriate
materials,” explains Joe Harris of Seymour Harris Architects.
“In contrast to previous pastiche
additions to the school, we wanted to use modern materials which would
complement the original architecture of the school. The new building is
harmonized with its surroundings through the colour and pattern of the high-level
cladding and by physically reflecting the attractive landscaping of the site,
and the school’s original buildings which date back to 1911.”
The original idea of cladding the
building with a reflective metallic finish was changed, as the school
environment could easily lead to the metal being scratched and dented.
“We chose the StoVentec Glass system
instead,” adds Joe. “It’s tough and scratch-resistant, but it still provided
the high degree of reflectivity that we were looking for. Sto worked closely
with us, providing many samples and helping us to arrive at the final choice.
The StoVentec Glass proved to be an excellent way of translating our design
into reality.”
The BBA-accredited StoVentec Glass system incorporates an
adjustable sub-construction, which is designed bespoke for each project.
This can easily be adjusted to suit any uneven substrate and creates a
ventilated cavity which keeps the wall dry and allows it to breathe.
Tempered
safety glass panels are bonded to unique StoVentec carrier boards in the
factory, and then fixed to the sub-construction at the project site. The glass
panels are manufactured in bespoke shapes and sizes to suit individual
requirements. As well as being available in any RAL or custom colour,
with reflective, non-reflective or metallic finish, they can also be screen
printed with individual logos or designs. The project included perforated
Adapta cladding that was supported on a structural frame penetrating the
StoVentec Glass. This necessitated close and careful co-ordination between the
architect, Craft Interior and Sto to ensure that the cut-outs in the glass
mirrored exactly the location of the steel beams.
The
manufacturing process includes the fusing of colours on to the back of the
glass, before the toughening process. The colour melts into the glass
providing permanent coloured glass panels that will not wear, scratch, fade, or
incur water damage.
"We have installed the StoVentec Glass system previously on several
projects, but this one was without doubt the trickiest in terms of design and
co-ordination. The positioning of the Agraffe fixing rails to the rear of the
Glass Panels ensures that the final install is a relatively quick and easy
process," adds Graham Chadwick of authorized Sto applicator Craft
Interior.
"The result on this project is a stunning piece of architecture that
all parties should be proud to have been involved with, and that is extremely
important on a high-profile project such as this."
