When it came to
specifying architectural glazing systems for a £15 million prominent building
on St John's Innovation Park in Cambridge, Kawneer was chosen by Barber
Casanovas Ruffles Architects as the preferred aluminium curtain walling system
supplier.
The leading UK
manufacturer's AA®110 zone-drained curtain walling with 65mm sightlines and two
types of commercial entrance doors - thermally superior AA®720s on all
elevations and heavy-duty series 190s for the main entrance - have been used on
the Maurice
Wilkes Building.
The curtain walling
"windows" were set out on a 1.5m grid to allow future flexibility to
the tenants' fit-outs.
Barber Casanovas
Ruffles said: "Kawneer is one of the preferred specifications for the
practice. We specify it because it is tried and tested and a quality product
that is value for money."
The brief from St
John's College, Savills and development partner Turnstone Estates was for a
flexible landmark speculative office building. The circa 2.5-acre site
straddles two planning authorities and through careful design and negotiation
has satisfied all the clients and local authorities requirements.
The
65,000ft2 building has five floors of flexible office
accommodation topped by a partially-covered roof terrace.
Full-height glazing
to both the south and north entrances provides the building with an identity
and sense of approach from both of these prominent building features. To the
south, the full-glass facade to the central section makes a showcase of the
building form by providing separation to each wing, while to the north, the
primary entrance sits in front of a double-height entrance space with
projecting office accommodation over.
The glazing design
responds to the building's orientation, requiring views into and out of it, as
well as responding to the building's external design and the function of the
internal spaces. Kawneer systems interface with the cladding throughout as the windows
are punch hole-style in a trabeated design form.
Barber Casanovas
Ruffles added: "The Kawneer systems play an important part of the design
to each façade. Each have detailed projecting caps to provide a third
dimension to the window mullions, assist with the thermal modelling and also
mix the colours to accentuate the module. All products used on the building
were considered for the overall sustainability of the building long-term."
Constructed in 16
months by Vinci Construction, using a reinforced concrete frame with infill
structural framing system and rectangular panels of bronze-coloured rainscreen
cladding, the black and silver coloured Kawneer aluminium systems were
installed during the contract by a team of operatives from approved dealer APiC
UK.
Andrew Finn, senior
sales and estimating technician at APiC UK, said: "The curtain walling
screens with differing vertical and horizontal projecting face caps complement
the adjacent materials. In addition, the main reception area has a double-height
curtain walling façade which provides a stunning entrance to the
building."
The building
achieved the accreditation of BREEAM "Very good" and boasts a low air
tightness value. It secured a majority of tenant pre-lets off plan and is
almost fully occupied.
