Shackerley’s SureClad
ceramic granite ventilated façade system has been used to create the optical
illusion of an ‘elevated’ building at Royal Holloway, University of London’s
new Library and Student Services Centre, The Emily Wilding Davison Building.
Designed by Associated
Architects, who have previously specified the SureClad system for the
University of Birmingham’s £44 million library, the new £42 million Emily
Wilding Davison Building has been named after the prominent suffragette and
Royal Holloway alumna and provides panoramic views of the Grade I listed
Founder’s Building.
The BREEAM Excellent
and EPC A-rated building features the SureClad system at ground floor level in
a textured charcoal grey ‘Rio Black Strutt’ ceramic granite.
Combined with glazing,
this darker, recessed ground floor creates the impression that the building is
open at ground floor level, providing contrast with the lighter upper storeys,
which appear to be ‘lifted’ off the ground.
In addition to making
a pivotal aesthetic contribution to the strong design concept of the building’s
feature wing being ‘elevated’, Shackerley’s SureClad ceramic granite was also
selected as a robust and durable material with longevity of performance and
appearance in an area of high pedestrian traffic.
Shackerley’s large
format ceramic granite panels were specified as part of a Kingspan BENCHMARK
Karrier Panel system. This innovative external envelope solution brings
together Kingspan’s high performance structural insulating panels with the
premium appearance and longevity of Shackerley’s fully-prefabricated ceramic
granite cladding and the installation benefits of its SureClad Access System.
The flexibility of the
Queen’s Award Winning SureClad Access installation system also enabled discreet
integration of the fixing interfaces within the façade, creating a seamless
base.
Comments Joe Belcher
from Associated Architects: “The SureClad ceramic granite panels supplied by
Shackerley continue the theme of traditional materials being used in a
contemporary way at The Emily Wilding Davison Building and provide a tonal
match with the glazing and spandrel glass at floor zones, along with a pleasing
contrast with the sandstone groundscape paving.
“The riven texture and
panellised layout of the SureClad®
façade elements also create increasing visual interest on approaching the
building, becoming more apparent at closer range to provide different levels of
engagement based on proximity.”
Shackerley
prefabricated installation-ready 1196 x 596mm panels for the ground floor
elevations and worked closely with façade engineering specialist, Fassaden + Architektur + Technik (FAT), to meet the
requirements of the complex detailing and interface requirements.
Martin Severa from FAT adds: “The Emily Wilding
Davison Building was an extremely complex technical design and assembly due to
the intricacies of the detailing, and delivery of the scheme relied on the full
engagement of façade suppliers and precision fabrication of every element.
“Shackerley was very responsive to these requirements
and, thanks to the company’s in-house specialised production plant and
technical expertise, we were able to install all the SureClad bespoke detailing
without a hitch.”
The Emily Wilding
Davison Building is now open to students, providing a 10,000m2 expansion of the University’s library
services, along with a student services
centre, employability services and exhibition spaces.
