Sotech were engaged by OCL Facades to produce over 2000 square meters of rainscreen panels in the redevelopment of City University, which included the redevelopment of three obsolescent existing halls and the provision of enhanced sports facilities to replace the Saddlers Sports Centre on a 1.5 acre site.
The redevelopment provided 805 new student accommodation units (arranged in twin apartments) for City University together with a new sports hall of circa 34,000 square feet designed to Sport England criteria and 19,665 square feet of new teaching accommodation for the University.
Sotech provided the Optima FC rainscreen cladding system for the project.
It was chosen because of its versatility – a multitude of materials and thicknesses (from 1.5mm to 4mm) can be used on one universal carrier – and because superior manufacturing techniques and precise coordination between panel and substructure presents the system in pristine appearance without the use of visible fixings. Additionally, the substructure carrier rail (complete with gasket and locating hooks) is fully pre-fabricated prior to going to site. Along with the hands free fixing brackets the system offers a very quick and accurate installation process.
In addition to the Optima FC, Sotech also provided Bespoke Aluminium Perforated Panels with 14mm square holes, giving the appearance of a clean modern finish.
The building was finished in Alucobond Metallic Silver 500 & Silver PPC. Since all Alucobond products are fully recyclable, they are ideal for projects that highly value the use of eco-friendly materials, as is the case for City Uni which committed to embedding sustainability within all of the University’s activities.
Whilst Optima FC is a fully independently tested and accredited system to CWCT standards and fully compliant to NHBC requirement, we also carried out in house deflection tests on the bespoke perforated panels to ensure ongoing compliance with CWCT standards for this unique design.
To find out more about our projects, and see our systems and finishes up close, you can visit our showroom and learning zone – which is open to installers and architects alike.
Call one of our technical team on 0191 587 9213, or email technical@sotech-optima.co.uk.
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