The University of Lincoln invested £19m in the construction of the Sarah Swift Building, which is home to the Schools of Health and Social Care and Psychology. TECHNAL MX Visible Grid curtain walling, PY55 doors and FY65 were specified for this project, and were chosen due to their versatility and aesthetic qualities. 

Named in honor of South Lincolnshire-born Dame Sarah Swift GBE RRC, the found of the Royal College of Nursing, the five-storey academic building houses a broad range of flexible learning spaces for students and staff - including new teaching areas, offices, clincial simulation facilities for the School's healthcare programmes and psychology laboratories for extensive research. Furthmore, the building also includes the Professional Development Centre, a facility that provides ongoing training for professionals who require skills-based training. 

The two separate schools are architecturally divided by a glass atrium, allowing them to retain their separate identities. Technal’s MX Visible Grid curtain walling with multi-shade glass spandrels have been used, to stunning effect.  

With such a diverse range of learning and research spaces, the brief for the specialist building was to create spaces that have the right environmental conditions. One of the highest considerations was to minimise and reduce external noise pollution, and internally, from room to room and from floor to floor. Technal’s MX Visible Grid, through a combination of acoustic glazing, acoustic dampers and cleaver detailing provides a range of solutions.

MX Visible Grid curtain walling also offers design flexibility.  Available in a choice of glazing gaskets, it achieves superior load distribution and is suitable for flat or faceted facades.

Technal’s PY 55 doors and FY 65 windows were also used throughout the building. The PY 55 doors are ideal for high traffic applications and offer exceptional levels of security and thermal performance. The doors were also chosen as they meet the requirements of Part Q of the Building Standards, having achieved PAS 24:2016.