The Sheffield University Technical College is located on the region’s visionary Olympic Legacy Park which used to house the Don Valley Stadium complex.
Building on the success of the existing city centre campus the second UTC opened in September 2016, specialising in human science computing education for 600 students aged 14 – 19.
With the focus on the layout and efficiency of the design, the new college would provide a unique experience for students to study adjacent to elite athletes and professional sports people.
The client wanted their new training centre to have an impressive design that would integrate seamlessly with the Olympic Legacy Park concept. With strict funding limitations and a tight programme for delivery this proved a challenge.
One potential solution was a built-up system, although this would more than double the cost of installation. The budget and timescale wouldn’t accommodate this, and it was decided that a single installation approach would provide a more cost effective alternative.
The building design would need to involve the use of products that would provide a quality architectural finish while also providing excellent acoustic properties and thermal performance. The design needed to emulate the appearance of a rainscreen, with discrete vertically laid joints.
A range of product options were assessed, with Eurobond’s composite panels being selected because of their track record on fire performance, span capability and aesthetics.
The products chosen for use on the new university technical college were Europanel F5 Extra and Rainspan, because they would ensure a high-quality finish and significantly reduce the building programme.
By using Eurobond composite panels, the structure could be designed around the spanning capabilities of the product, meaning that additional steel work could be kept to a minimum – and this played a key role in reducing costs and speeding up the project. The composite panels needed to be installed to a high accuracy to replicate and support a rainscreen finish achieved by professional installation by the sub-contractor and supported by Eurobond’s technical team that provided technical assistance throughout the project.
The final specification involved a single installation of Europanel manufactured from Colorcoat Prisma by Tata Steel in Helios and Slate Grey (F5 Extra 200mm
V Groove) and Rainspan (a composite panel providing structural support for rainscreen systems) to provide a combination of an impressive finish, completing the project in time and on budget.
Peter Severn, Project Technical at Bond Bryan, was clear about the challenge: "We knew we needed to install a vertical-look panel system that would perform well and that wouldn’t need to be decorated later. Our aim was to give the building a striking look while keeping within the budget."
He went on to explain why Eurobond products were right for this build: "By using Eurobond’s products we achieved weather tightness very early on in the building programme which meant more efficiency in the design, and minimised any additional steel work."
