A major construction and refurbishment programme at Southampton General Hospital has seen a number of key buildings given a fresh outlook thanks to an innovative Trespa facade solution.
Architects Studio Four have worked with Trespa on a number of previous projects and knew that the company’s innovative Tespa Meteon Panels would prove ideal for Southampton General.
The £6.3m redevelopment project required a durable facade solution which would be easy to clean and would perform exceptionally well outdoors. Studio Four and Southampton General Hospital have been specfiying Trespa products for over a decade, so Trespa Meteon panels proved the first choice.
Trespa is a world leader in the development, manufacture and supply of high performance, high quality panels for exterior cladding and decorative facades.
Trespa Meteon represents the next-generation of architectural cladding and is available with almost limitless design possibilities in various colours, rhythms and depths. The panels can be used on their own, or in combination with other materials, to create stunning façades or exceptional curved highlights.
“The external elevation treatments are a lightweight rain screen system with an insulated cold rolled metal frame and cement particle board to the inner skin,” explained a spokesman for the architects. “Trespa Meteon was used for the brightly coloured external surfaces, which was curved to the main elevation and incorporate a proprietary aluminium window system.”
Working closely with Trespa was, once again, key to the success of the project for the architects, as well as main installers LSC Facades Ltd and the hospital trust itself. "Throughout the whole process we worked as a team to successfully deliver this important and complicated project,” Mark Maffey, Estates Project Manager for Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Trespa is at the forefront of cutting-edge building techniques and Trespa Meteon is a decorative high-pressure compact laminate (HPL) with an integral surface manufactured using Trespa's unique in-house technologies, Electron Beam Curing (EBC) and Dry Forming (DF). The blend of up to 70% wood-based fibres and thermosetting resins, manufactured under high pressures and temperatures yields a highly stable, dense panel with good strength-to-weight ratios. The panels are perfect for use in innovative and functional ventilated façade systems.
Key to the success of Trespa Meteon is its closed surface, which practically eliminates dirt accumulation and keeps the product smooth and easy to clean. It also offers exceptional impact resistance.
This project provides the Trust with an additional loading bay area, laboratory space on two levels above including a new mass spectrometer lab, and future space on an additional upper level, which will remain as a shell at this time. The trust secured additional funding which increased the height of the building to include additional floors, with an increased level of fit out works.
Trespa Meteon panels are perfect for use in innovative and functional ventilated facade systems. Used on its own or as a highlight in combination with other materials, Trespa Meteon determines the look and underlines the qualities of a building.
Trespa is at the forefront of cutting-edge building techniques. Ventilated facades are more than a design gesture – they may provide energy efficient, long-lasting properties.
