INSPIRED DESIGN
3 Arena Central
Client: HMRC
Contractor: Galliford Try
Architect: Make
Sector: Commercial
Contract Value: £11m
Location: Birmingham
Project Scope:
Aluminium Curtain Wall
Aluminium Doors
Aluminium Anodised Rainscreen
Louvres
Systems:
Schueco FWS50 Curtain Wall
Rainscreen Panels – Anodised Aluminium Recessed Fix Panels
Eyebrow Details – PPC Aluminium Fabricated Bespoke Structure with Internal Strengthening Carcass
Bespoke Pressed Metal Cills, Cappings and Flashings
“I have been directly liaising with NACWL and have found that their commitment to providing resources, technical and commercial support, and allegiance to complete as required certainly demonstrates collaborative working.
NACWL are a knowledgeable Sub-contractor for Facades, they understand how it fits together, they have a valuable Supply Chain for both Technical support and physical components and can acquire the necessary experienced Operatives.
I certainly would have no hesitation in employing NACWL again”
Andrew McGarva
Director Galliford Try Building
Opportunity:
NACWL were employed by Galliford Try to supply and install the facade envelope system to 13 floors of the new HMRC building, located in the center of Birmingham’s regeneration scheme. The building has a striking honeycomb facade, formed from 1,521 hexagonal panels, which change the appearance of it according to the time of day, weather, and seasons. The building will see around 3,600 public servants, from various government departments, move in later in 2021.
Proposal:
NACWL used the Schueco FWS50 curtain wall to create a completed wall lining system for the main facade, spanning the full height of the building. The curtain wall included clear double-glazed units, metal spandrel panels, and acid-etched translucent units. The curtain wall and metal glazed spandrels acted as a supporting structure for the decorative, anodised aluminium rain screen to hang from.
These unique hexagon panels were pre-treated differently so that the right-hand panel had a different finish than its adjacent left-hand panel. This was a particularly difficult process as the natural process of anodising is hard to control, but the result was a fantastic multi-tone effect that gives the facade a striking look.
Above each vision area of glazing was the feature eyebrow. This was designed to accept a potential access load which required highly engineered Brise Soleil brackets and internal carcass frame reinforcement to ensure loads could be accepted. This structure was then clad in a PPC aluminium tapered fabrication, giving a unique contrast against the bright anodised panels, framing the vision area.
To the ground floor level, large double height curtain wall screens were constructed from Schueco FWS50 SG silicone jointed curtain wall, leaving a seamless glazed facade.
