Specialist Cladding Systems (SCS), a subsidiary of CA Group, has today announced that work has been completed on Network Rail’s new car park at Nottingham Station for Vinci Construction Ltd.
SCS secured the scheme by showcasing its reputation for carrying out major complex design and build schemes in the UK, including the spherical stainless steel Imaginarium at Bristol planetarium and the futuristic Arc retail development in Bury St Edmunds, among many others. The in-house manufacturing capabilities of CA Group facilitated a coordinated approach, providing the client with a single source manufacturing and installation contract.
The project, which involved the installation of 2,107 copper rainscreen panels in five shade variations, three different widths and two different heights, was carried out according to architect Carey Jones’ required 105mm grid pattern and Network Rail’s 70 year design criteria.
The copper panels, manufactured by CA Building Products, underwent significant testing to ensure that the end design was robust enough to stand up to Network Rail’s strict specification. The final solution combined 1.5mm stainless steel bonded to 0.6mm Luvata Copper.
Simon Gregory, Business Unit Manager for SCS, explained: “Due to the nature of a multi-story car park of this type there is great deal of variation in the height of the concrete at different points within the structure. Our panels had to be connected to the concrete via stainless steel cleats which, for maximum efficiency, were fixed to cast-in channels embedded into the concrete at source.
“We worked closely with the concrete panel manufacturer, SCC Ltd, to manage this process which, given that the panels were delivered in a sequential manner to a specified final fixing location, required strict quality assurance procedures both in the factory and on site - no small feat when you’re dealing with 8000 cleats in 70 different combinations!
“The result is a truly wonderful piece of engineering and the overall outcome – a stunning contemporary car park façade.”