Bespoke ‘Forma’ aluminium column casings from Encasement have been used to conceal interior structural columns at the new customer services centre in Hove Town Hall, which provides local residents with access to a range of services from Brighton & Hove Council.
All of the casings supplied and installed by Encasement are finished in RAL 5015 Blue PPC finish and stand 2700mm high, however two of the casings are designed to not only conceal structural columns, but also act as features within the building.
While the standard casings used on the project are 600mm diameter circular casings, the two feature column casings were manufactured as two semi-circular halves, which are joined by a recessed black coloured panel on each side to give a final diameter of 1600mm. Every column incorporates a matte black skirting collar, which integrates with the finish on the contrasting magenta coloured reception desks within the main area, while the top of the columns finish flush with the suspended ceiling.
The Hove Town Hall facility is one of two customer services run by Brighton & Hove Council with the other being located at the five storey Bartholomew House in Brighton, where Encasement also supplied a series of bespoke column casings for the £1.8 million refurbishment project.
Encasement’s MD, Martin Taylor, explained: “It has been great to be involved in both the Brighton and Hove customer service centres. Although both buildings provide the same services and facilities to the community, the interiors of the buildings are tailored to the needs of local people and the space available in each location. However, in both projects we have created some of our most interesting Forma column casings with Bartholomew House incorporating seating and Hove utilising large extended circles with unique feature joints.”
Encasement specialises in the supply of decorative casings, interior wall linings and cladding for the architectural, contracting and construction sectors.