Stoventec rises to marine challenge

Ireland's Office of Public Works chose StoVentec rendered rainscreen cladding system for a particularly tough challenge at new Marine Institute HQ.

Ireland's Office of Public Works chose the StoVentec rendered rainscreen cladding system for a particularly tough challenge in an exposed position on the west coast of Ireland.

The project is the new headquarters for the country's Marine Institute, the national institute for marine research and development, which is sited just 300 metres from the sea at Rinville, near Oranmore in County Galway.

The design seeks to give value for money not just in capital terms but also in lifecycle costs, so durability despite severe weather conditions and low maintenance costs were important factors in the choice of materials.

Ciaran O'Connor, assistant chief architect of Ireland's Office of Public Works commented: "I wanted a cladding which would provide a high level of protection against the salty sea air, is durable, resistant to cracking and has very low maintenance costs".

"StoVentec is a tried and tested product, is cement-free and gave me the crisp, modern finish I was looking for." The project used 1,800 sq m of StoVentec; the remainder was clad with local stone.

The tough, flexible acrylic render finishes available with StoVentec were ideal for a project such as the Marine Institute, which is exposed to prevailing wind and weather.

They avoid one of the major problems of traditional rainscreen facades which, generally being modular, result in numerous joints and therefore significant maintenance issues.

With a render finish, StoVentec allows large seamless areas to be created.

The back-ventilated rainscreen system places the insulation on the outside of the structure, helping to keep the shell of the building warm in winter while allowing the building to breathe, giving a healthy internal environment.

In hot weather any heat build-up on the rainscreen facade will be dispersed via the system's rear-ventilation.

The focal point of the Marine Institute, and a major construction achievement is the auditorium.

The envelope consists of an elliptical facade which extends outwards from ground to roof level.

The StoVentec rainscreen cladding system is well-suited to this type of construction.

It comprises a highly engineered substructure of aluminium base fixing, mineral wool insulation and unique StoVentec wallboards.

The StoVentec boards, which combine extreme lightweight and high mechanical strength, are manufactured from 96% recycled blown glass granulate mixed with a binder and pressed into a board format, with glass fibre mesh reinforcement applied to each side.

They are easy to fix onto the aluminium sub-frame and can be factory formed to accommodate curved walls, such as the Marine Institute's auditorium.

They provide an excellent base for Sto's range of durable acrylic renders, which can also be applied direct onto blockwork, and other durable exterior facings.

The completed project is a modern, world-class headquarters for Ireland's Marine Institute.

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