FIRST UK APPLICATION OF NEW CURTAIN WALLING SYSTEM IS COMPLETED – AND TECHNAL’S 5th PROJECT AT ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING UNIVERSITIES

The first UK application of Technal’s new MX Trame curtain walling system has been completed. The lakeside project at Edge Hill University also brings the number of buildings featuring Technal’s aluminium glazing systems on the Ormskirk campus to five.

Designed by Owen Ellis Architects and constructed by John Turner & Sons, the new £15m Faculty of Health building features MX Trame Horizontale, which encloses three ‘pavilions’ overlooking a lake.

Fabricated and installed by Bretton Architectural, the curtain walling met the architects’ requirements for a smooth linear appearance, and wraps around the building corners using specially shaped transoms and curved double glazed units. This allows high levels of natural light to enter the teaching spaces in line with the building’s low energy design, and maximises views of the lake. Natural ventilation is provided by concealed vents, which are inserted into the façade and electronically activated by the building management system.

Green tinted glass for the vision areas controls heat gain and glare from the sun, and contrasts with the opaque spandrel panels which have a white ceramic coating internally to conceal services.

Technal’s MX Visible Grid curtain wall was specified for the link corridors, with the high performance FXi65 tilt/turn and bottom hung composite windows inserted into brickwork on the rear façade to naturally ventilate the offices and administration centre

“Technal’s glazing systems met our performance criteria for the project and allowed us to achieve a true curve and a smooth, linear appearance”, said Andrew Brown, Project Architect at Owen Ellis Architects.

He added, “Sustainability was a key factor in the design, as part of the University’s commitment to low energy buildings and zero carbon technology. The large areas of glazing help to reduce energy consumption by using natural light and ventilation as much as possible.”

The building also features solar water heating, lighting controls, night cooling, ground source heat pumps, and solar shading to further reduce impact on the environment. The lake is used to store rainwater and for storm drainage.

Edge Hill University is one of the UK’s fastest growing universities and was shortlisted for the University of the Year Award. The new building accommodates enhanced facilities for students and staff in the Faculty of Health, including three lecture theatres which can be combined into one 850-seat space, two cafés, seminar rooms, informal learning spaces, administrative centre and offices for lecturers.

The MX Trame curtain walling system offers the same enhanced thermal efficiency as the other options in the MX suite, and also allows specifiers to accentuate the vertical or horizontal profiles across the building envelope for a distinctive appearance. Projecting caps add depth to the façade whilst specially designed flush gaskets soften the corresponding vertical or horizontal sections. The system can accommodate 6mm to 32mm glazing as a flat façade and the MX Trame Horizontale option can be faceted up to 10 degrees.