10 February 2009
T.I. Dynamic Facades Fields Innovative Façade Systems
T.I. Dynamic Facades’ single skin Terracotta Rainscreen and Aerolite stone façade systems have been used at the Elysian Fields luxury residential development in Liverpool to provide a high quality exterior finish to the new build apartment building, while streamlining the installation process.
Located in the Ropewalks area of Liverpool City Centre, Elysian Fields is a £25 million premium development of 105 apartments and penthouses with commercial space on the ground floor. Single skin Terracotta Rainscreen panels in a dark grey finish, 200mm wide and ranging from 900 - 1200mm in length, were used on all elevations of the building. Weighing an average of 10kg less per square metre than traditional terracotta façade panels, single skin Terracotta Rainscreen is the only system of its kind to be fully BBA (British Board of Agrement) certified.
Completing the architectural design, 1200mm x 300mm Aerolite granite panels in ‘Imperial Black’ were installed on 450m2 of the ground floor, including the area surrounding the main entrance.
Constructed from granite sliced to between 6mm and 15mm thick and bonded to a glass fibre, aluminium or honeycomb reinforced backing, the Aerolite granite system reduces the cost of the façade materials and labour required to achieve a high quality finish. At the Elysian Fields development, 15mm thick granite was used with a reinforced glass fibre backing.
The lightweight design of Aerolite granite was ideal for the pre-fabricated sub-wall construction used at Elysian Fields. Façade specialists, Norking Aluminium installed the Aerolite granite panels at Elysian Fields, using T.I. Dynamic Facades’ horizontal T.I. Tracking carrier system.
Shaun Whiting, sales director, Norking, explains: “The innovative carrier systems on the single skin Terracotta Rainscreen and Aerolite systems enabled us to install the cladding without needing to remove all the scaffolding from the building. Eliminating the requirement for on-site modifications of individual panels, we kept within the timescales of the project, minimising the disturbance to other residents in the restricted city centre location.”
To ensure a high quality and efficient installation, T.I. Dynamic Facades’ precision carrier systems have been engineered so the installation process of the single skin Terracotta Rainscreen and Aerolite panels is resistant to workmanship errors.
William Harwood, director, T.I. Dynamic Facades, comments: “With a choice of colours, finishes and carrier systems, the single skin Terrcotta Rainscreen and Aerolite façade systems provide a cost effective and flexible solution for any building design. At Elysian Fields these façade systems complement the architectural designs and improved the efficiency of the installation process.”