M1 MMC Sept '16 cc

Shackerley meets conservation area
requirements with contemporary
ceramic granite refurb solution
A prestigious office block in the heart of Birmingham’s civic and business district has been extensively refurbished with 800m 2 of
SureClad ® ceramic granite cladding from Shackerley, overcoming planning sensitivities in a renowned conservation area.
Specification of ceramic granite, a contemporary high performance façade material with almost zero porosity, has helped to
provide a new protective outer envelope for the building whilst maintaining its original natural travertine stone appearance.
Conservation area
43 Temple Row is a seven-storey commercial
complex located in the Colmore Business
District of Birmingham, the city’s main
commercial hub, brimming with professional
and business services and lively bars, cafés and
restaurants. A much sought-after business
address, Temple Row is also part of a
conservation area with St. Philip’s Cathedral at
its centre. Buildings like No. 43, with their
modern architectural styling, present a sharp
contrast with the 18th century Baroque church
and many other well preserved listed properties
that illustrate Birmingham's rich history and
heritage.
Weathered travertine façades
43 Temple Row was constructed in 1980 with
quarried travertine and granite façades. The
original travertine panels had weathered
significantly over time, allowing rainwater to
penetrate the façade. This ingress of water had
not only damaged the building’s concrete frame
but had also caused panel fixings to become
badly corroded.
Impervious replacement required
With the building partially stripped back to its
frame and a new concrete substrate installed,
the project now called for a cost effective
replacement façade system that would protect
the building from the elements for many years
to come. Due to their porous nature, new
quarried stone panels were ruled out. However,
because of the building’s location in one of the
most precious conservation areas in
Birmingham, known for the quality and diversity
of its architecture, the City Council’s planners
were keen to ensure that any replacement
solution precisely matched the original look of
the travertine.
Shackerley’s solution
Cladding specialist Shackerley proposed
ceramic granite, a fully vitrified engineered
construction material made entirely of natural
constituents, that can be produced in styles,
colourways and textures to emulate quarried
stones such as granite, limestone and marble.
Because of its strong, hard and impervious
characteristics, ceramic granite offers a low
maintenance solution, another important
consideration at any busy city centre location.
Virtually indistinguishable aesthetics
Drawing from its extensive collection,
Shackerley was able to offer a ceramic granite
façade panel in a ‘travertine’ style and
colourway that was virtually indistinguishable
from the original stone, and would perfectly
replicate the visual contrast with the quarried
granite that was being retained. The company’s
Queen’s Award winning SureClad ® Access
system was recommended for its speed and
flexibility of installation and the unique facility to
install façade panels non-sequentially.
SureClad ® - offsite prefabrication
Task Contractors Ltd, who installed the
replacement façades, had previously worked
with Shackerley on several projects. Ian
Blakemore, Commercial Manager commented:
‘We’ve installed SureClad ® ceramic granite
façades on buildings in various sectors of the
market, primarily on new build developments;
but as the Temple Row project demonstrates,
Shackerley’s systems are ideal for retro-fit
installations too. No matter how complex the
façade design, everything we need is supplied to
site by Shackerley, fully prefabricated, from
their ISO 9001 quality controlled factory. This is a
big benefit to us.’
‘For the Temple Row project, in addition to the
standard face panels which were supplied in the
most economical 1200x600mm format, the
cladding design incorporated intricate returns
into the existing window detail. Shackerley cut
all of these bespoke and quite complex window
profiles at their factory, and they were precisely
engineered to slot straight into the façades.
Whilst the client has gained a bespoke new
cladding system that fulfils all their needs, we
benefitted from a quick turnaround on site.
From procurement through to delivery, we’ve
found Shackerley to be an excellent partner to
work with.’
43 Temple Row is located in the heart of one of
Birmingham’s most important conservation areas
For further details please contact
Shackerley on 0800 783 0391
or visit www.shackerley.com
10 MMC
Sep/Oct 2016 MI