October 2008
Aerolite Granite Sets Style Standard for Sefton Quarter
Vermont Developments has used T.I. Dynamic Facades’ Aerolite lightweight stone façade system, at the landmark Sefton Quarter development in Liverpool. Installed on the ground floor elevations of a new apartment scheme within the Quarter, Aerolite with a granite facing was specified to achieve a high quality finish in line with the prestigious surroundings.
Total granite coverage of the ground floor exterior was specified, spanning approximately 370m2. While traditional stone cladding would demand the granite facing to be 40mm thick, Aerolite gains its strength through a reinforced backing, which enables the stone to be sliced much thinner and makes the system much lighter, weighing just 35kg/m2. At Sefton Quarter, the granite was sliced to 15mm thick and bonded to an Aerolite fibreglass backing. By reducing the amount of raw material required, the Aerolite system made granite a more commercially viable specification.
Full envelope installers on the project, Red Architectural, worked closely with the T.I. Dynamic Facades technical team to deliver a polished finish that would give the appearance of a solid granite block. This was achieved by pointing the Aerolite system with anthracite grey mastic.
To preserve the aesthetics of the granite, Aerolite panels are delivered to site pre-anchored and with minimal fixings. This means the panels arrive ready to mount on the carrier system, which helps to increase the efficiency of installation and reduces the likelihood of site wastage through misplaced fixings.
Jason Cross, managing director, Red Architectural, explains: “T.I. Dynamic Facades were extremely responsive with their on-site technical support, which helped us deliver a stylish exterior envelope well within the site programme. From a practical perspective, Aerolite was really easy to work with as once the carrier was in situ, we literally just had to place the panels on.
Aerolite can be used with any stone facing, with the only restriction on panel size being the stone block from which it is cut. The stone can be sliced as thin as 6mm and then bonded to a fibreglass, aluminium or aluminium honeycomb backing, determined by specific performance requirements.
Aerolite granite has been fully tested at Taylor Woodrow Technology Centre to CWCT (Centre for Window and Cladding Technology) guidelines and been shown to meet BS Standards.