PROTEUS
“
The new Ainsworth Graduate Centre is a
striking circular design yet one that sits
harmoniously in a location steeped in history.
The panels are fixed onto a unique system of aluminium
carriers and ancillary components, which were designed and
manufactured by Proteus Facades. Proteus fabricated the
structural element of the fixing system so that it physically curves
around the building. Installers Norman & Underwood then secured
the flat panels to create a faceted façade that, when viewed from
afar gives the perception that it is curved around a tight radius.
Proteus Facades also fabricated three varieties of TECU bronze fins
for external use on glazed sections. Shorter fins were secured with
a modified vertical aluminium extrusion cloaked with TECU bronze
and secured with stainless steel brackets. Each one is fixed off
the curtain wall system, with the TECU bronze capping designed
bespoke to achieve the maximum depth from the glazing line to
create a more striking aesthetic.
went through a double-marquette process, where principal and
secondary designs were presented to the architects and client for
review before manufacture.
As well as a reference to the original campus buildings, the bronze
Deeper, vertical TECU Bronze fins are secured to a bespoke
structural frame up to 450mm off the cladding line, which
compartmentalises the façade. The vertical fins frame the
structural bay and are fixed off curtain walling, spigoted into the
ground and bracketed at the head. The internal aluminium carcass
was secured with structural brackets back to the curtain wall and
plated at join positions with discrete fixings.
finish of the panels and fins was specified to contrast in tone and
glossiness with stainless steel panels, also manufactured by Proteus
Facades, which feature on existing and the newly developed student
accommodation blocks adjacent to the centre.
In the early 1990s and 2000s Hodder added three accommodation
blocks to the site, housing a total of 54 rooms. The facades on
these buildings feature Proteus HR Stainless Steel cladding panels,
Horizontal beams on the top of the upper level were fabricated
in a curve and fixed to a bespoke aluminium structure, then
cloaked with the TECU Bronze material from Proteus. Norman
& Underwood secured the beams with structural gusseted
brackets fixed back to the primary structure. All three types of fins
manufactured by Proteus Façades several decades ago. This
material was originally chosen as the smooth finish of the stainless
steel stands out against the coarse finish of the concrete structure
creating a textured facade.
Like the Graduate Centre, the newest student accommodation
pavilions are a continuation of Hodder’s development, adding 78
large spacious en-suite rooms connected by glazed stairwells. The
façades of the new buildings imitates those constructed by Hodder,
and so Proteus Facades was appointed to fabricate exact replicas of
the original Stainless Steel panels they manufactured some twenty
years previous for the new development, whilst using more modern
methods of construction.
The stainless steel panels sit inboard of the building’s concrete
frame with a standard pattern of two panels adjacent to large
rectangular windows on each of the rooms. The Proteus HR
rainscreen panels were supplied pre-finished with a 240S brushed
polished finish.
The aluminium carrier system used is fully adjustable on all axis,
allowing exacting sightlines to be maintained across the façade.
This enables the façade at St Catherine’s college to make the most
of linear shadow lines between the Proteus HR panels and concrete
structure.
Proteus HR is available in steel, aluminium, zinc, stainless steel,
copper alloys and other materials. For further information about the
innovative rainscreen cladding system or to view more inspirational
projects from Proteus Facades, visit: www.proteusfacades.com or
call: 0151 545 5075.
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