Simon Gregory, Sales Manager at Proteus Facades, looks at how modern rainscreen cladding materials are helping architects to repurpose older buildings without effecting their historical identity.
“A number of major towns and cities across the UK house a multitude of buildings that possess important historical interest, and represent the best of our architectural and industrial heritage; with many people residing in these areas identifying the buildings as significant landmarks that provide a link to their local history.
However, in order to appeal to a new generation of residents, owners or occupiers and meet with current building performance and safety requirements, many of the country’s historical structures are in need of an upgrade. As such, in order to ensure the buildings retain some of their identity, specifiers are presented with the challenge of maintaining a link to their original design and purpose.
An increasing number of architects are therefore choosing to integrate cladding into their designs. This enables the use of traditional materials such as copper, which has been featured on buildings for centuries, yet still has the ability to create a contemporary aesthetic.
Bennetts Associates’ Storyhouse in Chester, which was recently officially opened by Her Majesty and the Duchess of Sussex, is a great example of this. A building once frozen in time, the Storyhouse has been brought back to life and stands proud against 21st century structures, by the addition of a striking copper clad façade. Cheshire West and Chester council had a bold plan to deliver a £37m vision for transforming the Grade II-listed Odeon building, which had been closed for many years, into an exciting new communal space.
Featuring our Proteus HR rainscreen copper cladding, which was installed by Curtis Moore (Cladding Systems) Ltd., the project was an inspired rework and reinvigoration of the 1930s cinema. Whilst the building has undergone dramatic redevelopment, it has still retained its historical character and aesthetics.
The success of the award winning design stems from the way that the TECU Classic copper clad extension containing the theatre spaces was added to the shell of the Grade II building. The ribbed, abstracted rainscreen clad ‘fins’ create a new façade that still pays homage to the original building. However, whilst the proportions of the extension relate directly to the listed structure below, the copper and glass helps to create an aesthetic that provides contrast and identity to the new build elements.
Summary
While trying to retain a building’s historical past can result in a number of design constraints, it does not necessarily mean that it shouldn’t move with time. Making well-informed design decisions about architecturally significant buildings that are in need of an upgrade, like those taken at Chester, can be the difference between retaining and losing its true identity.
Choice of materials is critical to this and copper remains one of the most versatile, attractive and adaptable architectural materials available. It has been used for centuries for roofing, cladding and rainwater systems and remains as sought after today as it always has been.”
For more inspirational rainscreen facades from Proteus Facades, visit: www.proteusfacades.com
