Kawneer helps Plymouth promote the arts

Plymouth's new arts faculty building has a striking copper cladding that integrates with curtain walling, rooflights, windows and doors supplied by Kawneer.

Plymouth has a new icon - the arts faculty building for the city's university - where its striking copper cladding integrates with curtain walling, rooflights, windows and doors by architectural aluminium systems supplier Kawneer.

The Kawneer systems have helped the GBP36million Roland Levinsky building achieve a "Very good" BREEAM rating alongside the university's objective of a "badge" building for the campus that is easily accessible to the public.

A Kawneer-approved installer worked from an early stage with design and build main contractors HBG Construction and their executive architects Building Design Partnership to ensure that as well as befitting its position as gateway to the university, the building would also perform in the extreme marine environment where weathertightness and corrosion resistance were even more important than normal.

BDP had considered a range of options and the sub-contract tender was won by Dudley's Architectural Aluminium who proposed Kawneer's AA100 curtain walling for the glazing of the north and south facades.

This was complemented on the copper-clad elements with Kawneer's AA100 rooflights that perforate the roof to illuminate the four-storey atrium at the heart of the building and AA600 windows that seemingly randomly puncture the vertical planes, as well as 190 narrow-style doors.

Developed from a concept by Henning Larsen Architects, the 13,000m building contains an array of arts activities, from a cinema, 300-seat theatre and cafe to two dance studios and fine arts and digital studios for 2,300 students and 200 staff.

Parts of the particularly prominent nine-storey tower house the architecture school while Peninsula Arts, an organisation funded by the university, occupies a publicly accessible art gallery on part of the ground floor.

Split into three structures, the building comprises an in-situ concrete frame with post-tensioned floor slabs.

The curtain walling is one of three principle envelope materials, slate being used on the south facade at street level.

"It encourages the open, accessible feel required for the building with views through and into and out of the building," said architect John Palmer at BDP who regularly use Kawneer systems.

Installing the curtain walling was more challenging than normal for Dudley's.

Divisional director Bob Rice said: "The main challenges on this project were the many changes in direction of the building coupled with the shapes of the screens".

"There were not too many that were traditionally rectangular".

"Also, the glass had a complex fritting pattern and there were some photovoltaic panels integral to the curtain walling".

Some slight modifications were required including the cutting back of mullion fronts to permit aluminium infills to pass unhindered as continuous horizontal bands at floor slab level".

"The Kawneer systems fitted the aesthetic requirements well".

"The project had strong interest from the planning authority and its design advisors".

"The marine environment required appropriate specification and detailing for weathertightness and corrosion resistance," added Mr Palmer.

Martin Berkien, director of learning facilities at the university, said the building was more than just another dire budget utilitarian college building and added: "It has interesting angles and gives the message that people are free to walk in whenever they choose.".

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